Ash Ketchum: Being More
by Merodach the Original Sin
Summary: Delia Ketchum loved to travel. As she went abroad, she always took her child with her. In the years before Ash Ketchum had even set out on his journey, he had already seen a lot of the world, but there were three places that left the greatest mark on the boy that would, in the end, change the child into something… More.
1. Prologue: Becoming More

**_VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: This is a repost of a story that I deleted quite some time ago, as I lost interest in it, but as I am sometimes still receiving PMs telling me that people miss it, I am reposting it for those who are still interested in reading it and for p_** ** _osterity's sake_** ** _. Be warned, though. I have no intention to work on this story any time soon; only if and when my interest for this story returns will I work on it, and that is a very big if._**

 ** _I will post the other finished chapters of this story in the coming week. I noticed that the grammer isn't up to my standards anymore as I have progressed as a writer, and that annoys me something fierce, so I will first fix that before I post the rest._**

 ** _Anyway, enjoy._**

* * *

 **Ash Ketchum: Being More.**

 **Becoming More**.

Seeing the world at an early age radically changed the boy known as Ash Ketchum.

Ash Ketchum's mother, Delia Ketchum, loved to travel almost as much as she loved her own beloved son. She traveled abroad as much as she could, usually with friends and family, visiting all kinds of interesting places to experience their charms and to learn the local people's customs.

When a far off place inevitably caught her attention, she always vowed to visit it within a years' time. Of course, the moment her son entered her life she slowed down some and stayed at home more in order to take care of her child, but the moment she deemed him old enough to travel, which was around five years old for the small Ash Ketchum, she once again went abroad as much as she could. Taking her child with her, of course.

The pair visited places all over the world like Goldenrod City in the Johto region, Lilycove City in the Hoenn region, Sunyshore City in the Sinnoh region, Opelucid City in the Unova region, Lumiose City in the Kalos region, and even regularly visiting places all over the Kanto region, to name a few.

Ash Ketchum learned to love traveling just as much as his mother. He was a curious young boy that loved nothing more than to travel alongside his mother to new and interesting places where he could meet exciting new people and Pokémon.

In the years before he even set out on his Pokémon journey he had already seen a lot of the world and had met many a people and Pokémon thanks to his mother's love for traveling.

He had indeed seen a lot of the world at his young age, but there were three places that had left the greatest mark on the boy that would, in the end, change the child into something…

More.

* * *

Ash Ketchum - Age 7.

Sinnoh region - Alamos Town.

* * *

Alamos Town wasn't really a town, it was more the size of a small city than anything else. The main part of the city sat on top of a large mesa with steep hillsides in the middle of a lake. A large bridge connected the mesa to the mainland where thousands of tourists would cross over every day. The city's most iconic feature is the massive and beautiful structure known as the Space-Time Towers that pierced into the sky and could be seen for miles around.

Ash and Delia Ketchum walked down a dirt road hand in hand, coming closer and closer to the mesa that held Alamos town. Both mother and son were excited to visit the city and could hardly wait to see it in all of its glory.

Both sucked in a deep breath as they crested the hill they were walking and got a stunning view of the beautiful city. The sunlight caught the city at just the right time to frame its beauty.

"Wow," Ash breathed out in awe as he looked at the steep hill-sides of the mesa in the center of a crystal clear lake. The beautiful and artistic structures of the city towered into the sky on top of the mesa, which was reflected upside down on the surface of the blue lake.

His mother was equally as awed by the sight. She stood frozen on the spot. Her mouth was half-open and her eyes roamed hungrily over the image in front of her, trying to take it all in.

"Uh, mommy," Ash said as he tugged at his mother's jeans. "How are we going to get there?" He questioned, realizing that there was no path for them follow to the city. Ash could see a massive bridge in the distance that went over the lake to the city, but it was on the other side of the lake and quite far away.

His mother's eyes widened and she took out her travel guide. Flipping the thin book open she quickly saw what was wrong. She sighed. "It looks like we're on the wrong shore."

"And I'm exhausted," Ash complained, sagging forwards as he let his tiny arms dangle to the ground. He was not looking forward to walking around the lake and up and down the hills to get to the bridge.

"Me too, but we don't have a choi-"

"Would you two like a lift?!" A voice suddenly interrupted his mother.

Ash looked around but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, a shadow came over him and his mother. The pair looked up and were surprised to see a hot air balloon descending towards them. A young blond-haired woman with a Chimchar on her shoulder was in the balloon and waved at them as she and her Chimchar shouted greetings.

It didn't take long for Ash and his mother to agree and board the hot air balloon, taking their places in the basket. They took off quickly again, taking to the sky as Chimchar used Flamethrower to heat up the air in the balloon and for the woman to steer the balloon directly towards Alamos Town.

"We can't thank you enough for your kindness," Delia said gratefully, smiling at the young woman who had taken the time to help her and her son. "I'm Delia and this is my son, Ash. What's your name?"

"I'm Alice," the blond introduced herself and smiled at Ash and his mother. Above them her Chimchar breathed another Flamethrower into the balloon, making it climb up in the air even higher and making it go faster.

"Awesome! We're moving really fast!" Ash said excitedly, peering over the basket's ridge.

"What a pretty lake," Delia commented as she looked at the pristine lake that was speeding down beneath them.

"Hey, Alice. Do you do this often? Giving people balloon rides I mean?" Ash suddenly questioned, his eyes wide with childish innocence.

"Well, I work part-time as a hot air balloon tour guide, but I spent the most of my time as a music student," Alice said brightly as she took out a small leaf from her pocket and placed it against her mouth as she started playing her favorite song: Oración.

Delia raised an eyebrow. "A leaf whistle?"

Delia completely forgot about her question as the beautiful melody of Oración reached her ears. It was a calming and beautiful sound that immediately put her at ease. Ash had sagged slightly as the melody coming from the leaf whistle calmed his excitable nature and made him relax.

Suddenly, two flocks of Pelipper, Pidgey and Pidgeotto came flying besides the hot air balloon, drawn in by the melody. The Pokémon chirped at Alice, thanking her for the music.

Alice continued playing. The Flying-Types chirped at her one more time in thanks before taking off again.

"You see. The Pokémon are showing me the air currents," Alice said brightly. "Come on Chimchar!" Her Pokémon nodded at her and angled its head up. It breathed another Flamethrower up into the balloon, heating up the air and making the balloon go even faster towards Alamos Town.

"Look at those towers!" Ash said excitedly, looking at the famous Space-Time Towers that arched into the sky, dominating the city's skyline.

"Here, listen to this," Delia said, taking out her travel guide from her backpack again. She flipped it open and read. "The brilliant architect Godey designed the Space-Time Towers a hundred years ago."

"And that's where we also hold our Pokémon Contests," Alice informed them, smiling brightly.

"What's a Pokémon Contest?" Ash asked, his head cocked to the side in interest.

"Oh, a Pokémon Contest is a competition where people known as Coordinators show off the beauty of their Pokémon and their skills in battle in order to win a Ribbon. Similar to how ordinary Trainers try to win Badges from Gym leaders," Delia informed her child as she smiled at his inquisitive nature.

Ash nodded at the explanation and looked interested.

Alice gave them a tour over the city, free of charge, and showed them everything the fine city had to offer. Taking the most time to showcase the famous Space-Time Towers and the beautiful Alamos Town Park while sharing interesting tidbits of knowledge about both iconic features of the unique city.

It was not long afterward that Alice landed her hot air balloon and gave the excited mother and son duo a land tour through the city, making sure to visit the Space-Time Towers during the tour and ending it at the Alamos Town park.

Delia clapped her hands together in delight, "Okay, it's about noon now. How about a picnic?" she said brightly, looking at the beautiful and artistic scenery of the Alamos Town park. The perfect place for a picnic, she thought.

Ash cheered. "Yay, a picnic!"

Alice giggled at him. Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly. The pretty blond blushed as Delia and Ash looked at her with amusement. "Mind if I join you?"

Delia's smile told Alice everything that she needed to know. "Sure, the more the merrier."

The mother took out a blanket from her backpack and laid it down on the soft grass. Ash sat down on it as his mother took out their food, a few sandwiches, salads and different kinds of pastas and side dishes, and placed them on a few neatly arranged plates. Alice took out her own food from her own backpack and joined the mother and son on the blanket for a nice and quiet picnic, which was rather remarkable considering Ash was present.

During the picnic Ash's eyes were drawn to a group of Pokémon that had suddenly appeared from the bushes. A Shinx, an Azurill, a Marill, an Azumarill and a Luxio. The Pokémon cried out in delight when they spotted Alice and promptly tackled the surprised woman, nearly knocking over the dishes.

"Oh, hey you guys, how's it going?" The music player righted herself and smiled at her Pokémon friends as she petted them, giving them attention one by one.

Alice spotted the questioning look in Ash's and Delia's eyes and answered the unasked question. "I've been playing in these gardens since I was a little girl. These are some of the friends I have made here. Say hi to Delia and her son, Ash, everyone."

The Water-Type Pokémon waved at the mother and son duo with their stubby arms and cried out their names, greeting them. The Shinx and Luxio nodded at them, polite smiles stretching over their faces.

Suddenly, the small Azurill lost its balance and fell down, falling on the rim of one of the dishes with pasta on it, sending it flying and striking a surprised Luxio in the face, covering it completely. The other Pokémon laughed, while the Azurill looked sheepish. Ash's shoulders shook in silent laughter while Delia and Alice had raised their hands to their mouths, hiding their smiles.

Luxio did not find it funny and promptly tackled the nearest laughing Pokémon, the Azumarill, and knocked it over. The other Pokémon quickly moved to break the two Pokémon up but got shocked for their efforts as Luxio used Thunderbolt in anger.

Mayhem followed.

The situation developed into an all-out brawl between the five Pokémon. The Shinx and Luxio where shocking the living daylights out of the Water-Types while the Water-Types in turn blasted them with Water Gun's and Ice Beam's.

In between this chaos Ash and Delia where trying to get away from the blast zone, crawling over the ground in order to evade the stray Thunderbolts, Water Gun's and Ice Beam's arching over their heads.

They didn't have to bother.

Suddenly, the soothing tones of Oración washed over the clearing, instantly calming down the wild Pokémon and stopping their battle. Ash and Delia looked in awe at Alice, who was still sitting calmly on the blanket with her legs folded under her as she played on her leaf whistle.

The Shinx and Luxio settled down on the ground, their eyes closed in contentment and their ears dropping as they almost fell asleep from the sweet tones of Oración. The Azurill fell asleep instantly, making the now calm and content looking Azumarill catch the sleeping baby Pokémon. The Marill walked off, found a comfortable place in the grass, curled up and fell asleep.

Alice stopped playing her leaf whistle and smiled.

"That was awesome!" Ash nearly shouted, looking at Alice in undisguised awe.

"Why thank you," she accepted the praise gracefully.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" The boy asked excitedly.

"You want to learn how to play music?" Alice asked, surprised. It wasn't every day that seven-year old children decide that they want to learn how to play music. And certainly not boys.

"Sure, why not? If music can do that," Ash said, pointing at the sleeping and content looking Pokémon, who had been fighting only moments ago. "then I want to learn it."

"What's that song called, anyway?" Delia suddenly interjected. She was very curious about the song that could have so much effect on Humans and Pokémon alike. She was also very pleased that her child wanted to learn something that artistic. She could already see her child becoming a world-famous musician who attracted lots of fans...and girls. The mother quietly giggled to herself.

"It's called Oración. My grandmother taught it to me when I was a little girl," Alice said as she took out an old picture from her back pocket. She showed the black and white picture to the mother and son who looked at it curiously. On it where two people sitting on a bench in the park, an elderly man with a beard and what looked a young version of Alice. "The older man is Godey, the famous architect, and that girl is my grandmother when she was little."

She turned the picture around. On the back of it was the symbol of Oración, two heavily decorated intertwined half's of a leaf and beneath it was the sheet music of Oración, neatly displayed on decorated lines.

Alice smiled at Ash. "I'll make you a copy of Oración and show you how to play on a leaf whistle. But I warn you, it will take some time before you'll be able to play Oración with any degree of fluency. It's harder than it looks. Don't worry, though. I'm sure you'll be able to learn it. After all, practice makes perfect."

Ash nodded, smiling. Some of the words went over his head but he got the gist of what Alice was saying.

Alice got up and stretched for a bit. "Well, it's still early. How about a visit to the Space-Time Towers?" She smiled as she got two excited nods for her question.

And so, Ash took the first step in becoming something more.

* * *

Two weeks later it was time for Ash and his mother to leave and to go back home. Both mother and son had just packed their stuff and had left their hotel. They were about to leave the city, heading for the airport.

But first they had to say goodbye to a friend.

Alice.

"I can't believe you're leaving already," the blond laminated sadly. The two weeks had gone by too fast for the music artist.

Delia smiled at her friend as she held her child's hand in her own. They were standing on the bridge that led out of the city. Alice and Delia had become fast friends in the two weeks that they had been together. The two had met each other daily at the park where Alice taught Ash how to use a leaf whistle and gave him a copy of Oración.

Ash had been practicing every day and while he had sucked at it in the beginning he was starting to make progress. It was little, but it was something, and if you could describe Ash as being anything it would be stubborn. Delia was sure that he would try, try and try some more until he got it right.

"Sad, but true. I'm sure we'll meet again. We like to travel you see, I'm sure we'll visit here again someday," Delia said, smiling slightly sadly at Alice.

"There's that. Or maybe I should come and visit you in Kanto," Alice returned, also smiling a sad smile.

"Oh, I would love that, and I know Ash would like that too."

Ash looked sadly at Alice but he was used to it. He had made many friends with people all over the world and he always had to leave them behind as he and his mother went back home. He still held contact with some of them, though.

Alice crouched down and tussled Ash's hair, smiling at the young boy that had warmed her heart with his dedication. He had really surprised her with his determination to learn how to play Oración.

"Keep on practicing, Ash. And when you come back I want you to play it for me, okay?" Alice asked. Ash nodded immediately. He would love to show Alice what he had learned when he came to visit her again.

Alice suddenly dipped her head and kissed Ash on the cheek. The boy's face went completely red in an instant. Alice smiled at the embarrassed boy and stood back up after tussling his hair one more time.

Delia giggled and held out her hand. Alice took it and said goodbye to the mother and son, winking at the still blushing Ash. She turned around and left, heading back home.

The mother and son turned and started making their way across the bridge. "Did you have a great time, sweetie?" Delia asked as they walked. She already knew the answer but she wanted to hear it from her son's mouth.

Ash smiled brightly, his blush having finally abated, "I sure did! It was awesome playing with the Pokémon in the park and learning how to play Oración with Alice. The Space and Time Towers were also pretty nice."

Delia smiled at her son's excited description. "Say, will you play Oración for me?"

Ash's blush returned full force/ "Um, not yet. I want to practice it a bit more."

Delia giggled again. She knew that her son's current skill at playing music was more likely to render her deaf than calm her down.

* * *

Ash Ketchum - Age 8

Kanto region - Rota

* * *

The Kingdom of Rota was a nice place, if a bit plain in Ash's opinion. The people where nice enough and the buildings were decorated like in ancient times, giving the town an old and medieval feel to it. But it was not the town that drew people to the kingdom. No, Rota's claim to fame was Cameron Palace.

This ancient palace is famous for its beautiful structures. The Palace resided in the middle of a lake on an island with steep hillsides. Two bridges connected it to the town of Rota that wrapped completely around the gorgeous castle. The Renaissance style castle had white marble walls that glinted in the sunlight. Blue jagged crystals embedded into the walls added to the dazzling display. White towers pierced into the sky, their sharp blood-red points starkly contrasted with the white and blue theme of the castle. At one end of the castle was a massive draw bridge that thousands of tourists were crossing over.

It was this gate that Ash and Delia entered through to the famous castle.

Both mother and son were wearing clothes that were worn in ancient times, in the times of the castle's creation. Delia wore a plain white noble woman's dress. She had a jeweled necklace around her neck and her hair had been braided into a stunning hair piece. Ash, on the other hand, wore a down sized version of a chain mail based knights armor for his small size. It looked comical to a degree, but it fit.

Today was a special day, a day of celebration. A festival was being held in honor of the legendary hero that had saved the Kingdom of Rota from certain destruction, the famous Sir Aaron. The main event of this celebration was a Pokémon competition. A tournament that trainers have come from far and wide to compete in for the honor to be dubbed Guardian of the Aura.

Ash was looking forward to the tournament. Too bad he wasn't a trainer yet or he could have competed himself. Oh, how he would have loved that!

Delia looked up at the clock tower of the castle, checking the time. "Hmm, it seems we're running a little late. The tournament is about to begin in ten minutes. Let's hurry dear!"

Ash smiled. "Yeah, let's hurry!" he cried out in delight.

Delia took her child's hand and let him through the throngs of people. She quickly took them to the arena that was tucked away in a spacious corner of the palace. Mentally, she thanked herself for having learned the castle's layout the day before, otherwise they would have gotten hopelessly lost.

The duo entered the arena mere moments before the main crowd started making their way to the about-to-be-held tournament. The mother and son ascended a flight of stairs and came to a viewing area, perfect for a bird's-eye view for the battles that were about to be held. They quickly took a place at the front of the stone viewing areas. Ash had to take a small chair to stand on, though, in order to be able to see over the railing.

Ash looked out over the arena. Down below was a plain dirt battlefield, one commonly used in big Pokémon competitions like in the League. The 'stadium' was a medieval style arena with stone viewing areas. There were quite a bit of people in the arena already, Ash noted. The viewing areas where still filling up, but would be full in a few moments.

Several minutes later the stadium was full and the competition was ready to begin, heralded by blowing of trumpets. The judge appeared down on the battlefield, clothed in a suitable medieval purple outfit, and made the opening words. "Presenting her royal majesty," he boomed, his voice loud and authoritative, "The illustrious ruler of Cameron Palace, Lady Eileen!"

Up on a special balcony overseeing the battlefield at the highest point, Lady Eileen, queen of Cameron, appeared with a Mime Jr. in her arms. Her maid followed close behind her. The queen placed Mime Jr. down, who twirled in happiness and copied Lady Eileen's movements as the queen waved at the public.

"Oh, just look at her! She's so beautiful!" Delia commented in admiration as she saw the queen.

Ash blinked, weren't woman supposed to be jealous of other beautiful woman?

Queen Eileen spread her arms wide and smiled at the crowd, Mime Jr. copying her actions again. "And now, in honor of Sir Aaron and his noble deeds, we will begin our annual Pokémon Competition!" The crowd roared and cheered in approval.

That was the starting sign for the tournament to begin. Two trainers came rushing out of the tunnels on either side of the battlefield, fully prepped and fully ready as they threw two Pokéballs up into the air. In two identical flashes of white light a Gallade and a Sandslash appeared on the battlefield. They glared at each other and tensed for battle.

"Begin!" the ref shouted over the roar of the crowd, lowering his flag.

The Gallade and Sandslash rushed each other at their trainers command. Gallade came in swinging with Psycho Cut, its sharp forearms shining a dangerous pink and Sandslash rocketed forwards with indecent white glowing claws as it used Slash.

They met, an explosion lit up the battlefield and raised a gigantic smoke cloud, hiding the Pokémon from sight.

The tournament was on.

* * *

"...And welcome back after our half hour intermission! Now that our final two contestants Pokémon have recovered from their previous battles the final match of the Cameron Pokémon Competition is about to begin!" The ref shouted as the crowd once again took their places in the viewing boxes. He raised his flag. "The final match between Jason Treymor from Kanto and Candice Lockhart from Hoenn for the beloved title of the Guardian of the Aura, BEGIN!" The ref threw down his flag as the last word echoed out over the stadium.

The two final contenders took their places on either end of the battlefield, one boy and one girl.

Jason, an eighteen year old red-haired young man with deep green eyes and dressed in plated armor of old hurled his Pokéball into the sky. It released a towering and massive Rhyperior onto the battlefield. Rhyperior roared, its sheer weight crushing the ground underneath the huge Pokémon and its roar actually released a small shockwave that scattered dirt and dust in all directions.

Candice, a twenty-one year old blond-haired woman with light brown eyes and dressed in a flowing, dark blue royal woman's dress threw her own Pokéball. It snapped open and released a powerful looking Sceptile. The Forest Pokémon proudly raised its head, giving a deep glare at the now silent Rhyperior.

Ash immediately knew what this battle was going to be about. Speed versus power.

Jason made the opening move. "Rhyperior, use Earthquake!" Rhyperior grunted in acknowledgement and raised one gigantic foot, pausing for nary a moment, it stomped the ground with enough force to shake the entire stadium. The ground shook and rippled like water under its immense power. A fissure opened in the ground and went directly for Sceptile.

"Jump up to evade and then use Leaf Blade!" Candice countered as she fought to keep her balance. Sceptile nodded in confirmation. It recovered its balance and jumped into the air with great speed, causing the fissure the harmlessly pass under it. Sceptile threw its arms to its sides, the leaves on both of Sceptile's forearms glowing a dangerous green and elongating, taking the form of a Leaf Blade.

"Use Rock Polish and dodge! Then Come around with Hammer Arm!" Jason commanded quickly.

Rhyperior crushed its fists together. Its red plated armored hide glowed a deep red as it used Rock Polish. With great speed Rhyperior zipped away from Sceptile's Leaf Blade attack at the last moment. Circling back around Sceptile it raised its gigantic right arm, an angry orange energy enveloping it as it used Hammer Arm. Still using its augmented speed Rhyperior rushed at Sceptile's from behind as the ground shook under its immense weight.

"A frontal attack! How foolish!" Candice taunted with a smirk. "Now Sceptile, end this with Frenzy Plant!" She commanded.

Sceptile turned around to meet Rhyperior head on. Channeling its power into the ground dozens of gigantic tree roots suddenly sprouted. They speared high into the sky, growing in size as Sceptile concentrated to make the attack as powerful as possible. Once the tree roots almost blotted out the sun light thanks to their immense size they came spearing down towards the onrushing Rhyperior with the speed and double the striking power of a coiled Seviper.

It was too late to dodge.

Jason looked unconcerned, even as the most powerful of all Grass-Type attacks bore down on his Rhyperior.

One by one the roots struck Rhyperior, knocking it back with every blow and dealing quite a bit of damage with each hit. Rhyperior grunted with each hit as it held its immense arms in a cross guard in front of its body, lessening some of the damage.

To everyone's shock, Rhyperior was still standing tall and strong after the attack ended. The Drill Pokémon actually smirked and crushed its fists together, ready for more. Suddenly, it rushed forward again. Still using its augmented speed, it slammed it's still glowing Hammer Arm into the surprised Sceptile's chest with tremendous force.

Sceptile went flying and crashed into the stadium's walls, cratering it from the sheer force behind it

"Sceptile!" Candice cried out in concern.

"Did you really think it would be that easy!? I've raised my Rhyperior's defenses as high as I could with lots of special training. Rhyperior's Solid Rock ability also comes in handy of course," Jason said, smirking.

'Solid Rock, that means that the damage of super-effective attacks are reduced by a fourth. That Frenzy Plant only did slightly more than regular damage and by the looks of it the attack wasn't nearly enough to faze Rhyperior,' Ash thought, his eyes glued to the battle below. He was trembling excitement. That would be him down there someday!

Sceptile shakily pulled itself up and stumbled back onto the battlefield. Taking a deep breath the lizard-like Pokémon hardened its stance and prepared to continue fighting.

Candice's eyes hardened. "Keep it away! Frenzy Plant again! Then follow up with Solar Beam!"

Jason's eyes widened in clear alarm. While those attack wouldn't do super-effective damage because of Rhyperior's Solid Rock ability they were still very powerful attacks. One Frenzy Plant wasn't enough to slow down his Rhyperior, but another followed by a Solar Beam might even put Rhyperior out of commission!

"Quick, use Rock Wrecker! If it survives finish it with Ice Beam!" Jason commanded. There was a tinge of desperation to his voice.

Rhyperior roared, shaking the earth thanks to the sheer force behind it, and cupped its gigantic palms. Small chunks of gray stone came out of the holes on Rhyperior's hands and formed together into a large rock that was outlined in red. The red outline faded and Rhyperior reared back, took aim, and launched the stone directly towards Sceptile at an incredible speed.

"Take that Rock Wrecker and keep on charging Solar Beam!" Candice commanded. She hoped that her Sceptile could take the hit.

Sceptile nodded and started charging Solar Beam. The bulbs on its back started glowing as they took in sun light in preparation for the mighty Grass-Type attack. Meanwhile, the roots of Frenzy Plant that it had summoned mere moments before arched above and around the incoming Rock Wrecker. The gigantic tree roots honed in on Rhyperior and struck the mighty Ground and Rock-Type over and over, knocking it back with every hit.

Finally, the Rock Wrecker struck Sceptile, creating a mighty explosion. Smoke and sharp chunks of stone billowed outwards. A heavy haze of dirt now obscured the battlefield. It slowly began to lift, only the area around Sceptile's last known location was still hidden behind a heavy cloud of dust.

All was silent for but a moment. All eyes were now glued to the dust cloud hiding Sceptile from sight, waiting to see if the Forest Pokémon was able to continue battling.

The answer came a moment later in the form of a gigantic Solar Beam that speared out of the smoke and surged towards the only just recovering Rhyperior.

The Drill Pokémon quickly opened its maw and started charging an Ice Beam. Within seconds it had charged the Ice Beam as much as it could in such a short time frame and unleashed the icy blue zigzagging beam towards the rapidly closing in Solar Beam.

The two attacks met head on, impacting harshly against each other and for a moment stalemated, but only for a moment. The Solar Beam overpowered the Ice Beam, breaking through it and shredding the beam into nothingness.

The Solar Beam struck Rhyperior, actually throwing the immensely heavy Pokémon back and setting it ablaze with white energy as the power of Solar Beam covered it. Rhyperior fell to its knees, shaking the entire arena, gasping and moaning in pain. The white energy covering it snuffed out after a moment, revealing the black burn mark where the Solar Beam had struck Rhyperior in the chest.

With a grunt of exertion Rhyperior got back on its feet, all though it looked like it would keel over at any moment.

The smoke covering Sceptile was swept away in a sudden breeze, revealing the Forest Pokémon. Sceptile's entire body was shaking, there where deep cuts all over its green and pink body and some shards from the Rock Wrecker had embedded themselves into its skin. There was also one huge bruise on its chest where the Rock Wrecker had initially struck.

The Forest Pokémon and the Drill Pokémon glared at each other, daring the other to admit defeat.

There was another breeze of wind.

With a gasp of pain Sceptile suddenly collapsed, falling face first to the ground in a dead faint. The Forest Pokémon was completely knocked out cold.

There was a heartbeat of complete and utter silence.

The Stadium erupted.

Everyone was cheering for the trainers and their Pokémon. The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled as hard as they could. Ash and his mother joined in on the cheering and clapping.

"Sceptile is unable to battle, Rhyperior wins! We have a new Guardian for the year, Jason from Kanto!" the ref announced as he lifted his flag towards Jason.

"All right!" Jason cheered as he pumped his fist in victory. Rhyperior smirked in satisfaction before Jason recalled it and thanked the Drill Pokémon for its efforts.

Candice sighed and recalled Sceptile as well. She had a defeated, but satisfied look on her face. She drew herself up and walked across the battlefield to shake Jason's hand and congratulate him on his victory.

Jason blushed in light embarrassment and gratefully took the offered hand. The crowds clapping and cheering took on an even higher pitch at the sportsmanship.

* * *

That night, several hours later, a large crowd had gathered in the Cameron Palace Ballroom. The red marble room was decorated elaborately with tapestries and ancient paintings. The room was packed to the brim with people, who were all still dressed as people out of the medieval era. Only the section of the floor that was used for dancing was free of people.

Ash and Delia stood a little to the side, watching Queen Eileen as she got up from her throne and walked forwards. The crowd fell silent as Lady Eileen was given a polished wooden staff. It had metal rings and decorations with a shimmering crystal at the top. Ash was in pure awe of it. She held it out for the crowd to see, who watched the staff with interest and awe. The queen smiled as nostalgia swirled in her eyes. She turned towards Jason. Walking up to him she held the staff out towards the victor of the tournament.

"This is the staff of the Guardian that once belonged to the great Sir Aaron. According to our tradition the winner of the Pokémon Competition is named the Aura Guardian for the year and is presented with this staff. In behalf of my kingdom, Jason, it's yours."

"Awesome," Jason breathed in awe as he gingerly took the staff from the queen. "This really belonged to Sir Aaron?" He said, looking at the deep blue gem on the top of the staff.

His question went ignored as the queen continued on with her duty. "Now we will begin the Grand Ball in honor of Sir Aaron and our new Guardian. Please, enjoy yourselves everyone," The queen announced and smiled as classic music started playing. Couples swiftly took to the ball floor to dance.

Delia smiled at her son and took him to the buffet which was neatly tucked into the side of the ballroom. Ash nearly started drooling at seeing the large and diverse buffet.

His mother giggled at him and patted her child on the shoulder. "Go and enjoy yourself sweetie, but don't overeat. I'm going dancing with that fine young gentleman over there."

Ash nodded, not really paying attention to whom his mother was planning on dancing with. He made a beeline for the buffet.

Delia smiled one more time at her child's back and turned towards the gentleman who had caught her attention.

Half an hour into the celebrations Ash had finally had his fill. He sagged into his seat and patted his stomach in contentment. He didn't notice the people around him who were staring at him incredulously. They had just witnessed a little boy eat twice his own body weight like it was nothing! It was impossible!

Ash stood up from his chair and was about to wander of in search of something else to do until suddenly a glint in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He turned and spotted the massive gem on the staff in the hands of Jason, who was sitting beside the queen herself.

He looked at it curiously. He wasn't sure but he thought he felt a sort of connection to something inside the gem, or was that just his imagination playing tricks on him? The longer he stared at it the more there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, as if someone was screaming at him from a great distance, but he couldn't make it out.

He also felt as if someone was looking right at him.

Ash didn't know it, but that someone was actually looking at his Aura.

* * *

Lucario had no idea what was going on.

His last memories where of impending doom. Two armies who were dead set on destroying each other where about to wage war on Cameron soil. He had seen them mere moments before they would have met with the incredible sight his Aura granted him. The clash would have destroyed their kingdom without question.

Then his master had done the unthinkable.

His master had betrayed him.

Sir Aaron was his master and his teacher in the ways of Aura, but he had abandoned him and the kingdom in its hour of need. He had fled the palace, abandoning Queen Rin to her fate and took off on his Pidgeot towards the Tree of Beginning.

He had of course chased after his master, thinking and hoping that he had a plan to stop the impending destruction.

How wrong he was.

The moment he had caught up with Sir Aaron his master had denounced him as his student and had continued on running. Shocked and confused Lucario continued to follow his master only for Sir Aaron to turn around and throw his staff down in front of Lucario, where it lodged into the ground. The jewel on top of the staff had glowed brightly and the gem had captured him just like a Pokéball did in the here and now.

Not that Lucario knew what a Pokéball was. Or anything about the here and now.

The now ancient Pokémon had been sleeping inside the gem for a very long time, held in suspended animation for centuries, unaware of the passage of time outside of his long time resting place. Nothing had disturbed him, nothing had touched him, and nothing had so much as caught his notice.

Until someone with an Aura nearly identical to his long dead master came close enough to rouse him from his forced slumber.

Rage, sadness, and betrayal where the first emotions the Aura Pokémon had felt in over seven hundred years.

Not that he knew that he had been sealed for over seven hundred years.

Lucario shook his head. He could wallow in his emotions later. First, he needed to free himself. He turned his attention outward, looking for a way to escape.

His view from the outside world was blurry at best. He could only see the blue outline of the room that he was in and the inner Aura of the people present in the room. It was more than enough, though.

His Aura sight didn't hone in on the person that was holding the staff of his master, but on a child not far away from him. This child had and Aura so closely resembling his master's own that he could have mistaken the child for Sir Aaron if the child wasn't so obviously small. The child even had similar physical characteristics to his master from what he could make out.

Did his master have a child? He didn't have some one night stand with some woman, did he?

He wouldn't have even entertained the thought before but with his master's abandonment and subsequent betrayal he wasn't certain anymore to just what Sir Aaron was capable of.

Lucario quickly shunted his thoughts to the back of his mind. He had better things to think about. Like, how to get out of this stupid gem.

There was only one way to escape, and he knew how.

The staff only reacted to his masters Aura. His master wasn't anywhere nearby, luckily there was someone with a near identical Aura not too far from him who was naturally giving of the needed Aura to escape.

Hopefully, this would work. No, it had to work.

Using his own impressive skills in Aura manipulation he started drawing the ambient Aura in the air towards the gem and focused on the young child's Aura that had diffused into the air. Little by little he drew the needed Aura for him to escape. To his joy he could feel the gem reacting towards the child's Aura. He would be free soon enough.

* * *

The celebrations lasted deep into the night. After one last speech by the queen at midnight and the setting of off a spectacular display of fireworks the celebrations slowly but surely petered out.

Ash and Delia where some of the last people there. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and only about a dozen people remained, including Ash, Delia, the queen, her maid and Jason.

Queen Eileen got up from her throne and approached Jason who got up from his chair as he saw her approach. She held out her hands. Jason nodded and handed the staff back to the queen. Lady Eileen turned to address the few remaining people. "Another night of celebration in honor of Sir Aaron has come and gone. On behalf of him I thank you for attending and I hope that all of you enjoyed yourselves. With that, I wish you goodnight."

The queen dipped her head at the last remaining guests. With that the queen left the room, taking the staff containing Lucario with her, completely unknowing of what she was carrying with her.

* * *

 _Dammit!_

All had been going so well. Just one minute more was all he would have needed to escape from the wretched gem that contained him but it was one minute to many. The staff had been taken from the room and Lucario had seen the child leave with his mother. He had been separated from the only chance that he had to escape.

He could already feel the gem's power pushing down on him again. It was trying to return him to his forced slumber.

 _No!_

Lucario raged against his confines and in a desperate instinctive move he took hold of the child's Aura he had been able to pull to himself. Concentrating, he used it to make a protective shell around his sealed form.

The Aura Pokémon sighed in relieve as the pressure abruptly left as the gem's power could no longer reach him, for the moment.

 _Now what?_

It was a good question. He didn't have enough of the child's Aura to escape and the child was now too far away from him. He needed the child in order to escape but he couldn't rea-

 _Wait, that's not entirely true._

There was one technique, a technique that Sir Aaron had taught him mere months before the impending battle that had threatened to destroy the kingdom of Cameron and his master's betrayal. This technique allowed him to make a telepathic connection with anyone with a strong enough Aura over great distances. So long as the child hadn't left his range he could contact him and try to ask for the child's help! There was still hope!

 _This is it. My final chance._

Lucario closed his eyes and concentrated.

* * *

Ash was almost asleep when the mental voice of Lucario barely managed to reach him. His mother had immediately taken the now very sleepy child back to their hotel in Rota the moment the queen had closed the celebrations. He had stayed up way past his bed time and while Delia was far more lenient on enforcing bed time than most parents, she still made sure that Ash received enough sleep. She was his mother after all.

 _Hello, can you hear me?_ A voice whispered into his mind.

Ash's eyes snapped open at the sudden mental intrusion. Tiredness almost forgotten in his shock, he bolted upright in his bed and quickly scanned his room. No one. There was no one in his room, but then where did that voice come fro-

 _Hello? Please answer me!_ the voice shouted. It held a frantic note to it.

Little Ash's eyes widened in the darkness. He could hear the voice perfectly clear, but there was no one but himself in the room, "H-hello?" he spook up hesitantly.

 _Thank Arceus! You can hear me! Please child, I need your help,_ the voice continued.

Ash stuttered. "W-who are you?" He asked, rather afraid of the disembodied voice.

 _I'm Lucario, but who I am is not important right now, child. I'm desperately in need of your help,_ Lucario continued with a grim edge to his voice.

Ash gulped in uncertainty. "W-what do you need my help for?"

 _I'm trapped, dear child. I've been sealed away for who knows how long and I cannot escape without your help,_ was the curt reply.

Ash was still uncertain. "How do I know you haven't been 'sealed away' as you put it with good reason? What if you did something bad and was sealed away for some kind of crime? And why do you specifically need my help? Why can no one else help you?" He questioned, now more sure of himself.

 _My master betrayed me, dear child, and sealed me away into his staff for unknown reasons. I did nothing to warrant this imprisonment, at least not to my knowledge. As for why I need your help specifically... Well child, you're special. You have a power that's extremely similar to my master's power. This power is called Aura and yours is nearly identical to my masters. Only his Aura, or yours in this case, can set me free,_ Lucario explained patiently.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Ash questioned skeptically.

 _You can't. You'll just have to take my word for it,_ the disembodied voice replied.

Ash hesitated. He had no way of knowing if this 'Lucario' was telling the truth, but on the other hand, if he was telling the truth Ash didn't think he would be able to live with the guilt of abandoning him in his hour of need.

It all came down to the fact if Ash would be able to throw caution to the wind.

He thought about for about a little less than a second

"All right, I'll do it," Ash answered resolutely.

Ash could suddenly feel an immense surge of joy and relieve from the voice.

 _Bless you, dear child!_

"What do I need to do?" Ash questioned as he crawled out of bed. He took his clothes from a nearby chair and began putting them back on.

 _I need you to return to Cameron Palace and get close enough to my master's staff in order for me to draw the needed Aura from you in order to escape. Don't inform your mother. She might try to stop you. I'll guide you back to the castle. Simple._

Ash suddenly froze as he was about to put on his shirt. His master's staff? He knew of only one staff. He couldn't mean… "Your master wouldn't be Sir Aaron, would it?"

 _Well, yes. My master is, or was, Sir Aaron. He isn't my master anymore. He said so himself mere moments before he sealed me._

"I-I'm not really sure how to tell you this but Sir Aaron died seven hundred years ago. You have been sealed for at least seven hundred years," Ash spook up hesitantly.

Silence. Ash could feel total and utter shock from Lucario over their mental connection.

Ash put on the remainder of his clothes and patiently waited for Lucario to speak.

 _W-while you're traveling to Cameron Palace could you please inform me of what has happened with the world since I've been sealed? I dearly need to know what happened to Sir Aaron and how Cameron Palace managed to survive the impending battle that had threatened to destroy our kingdom,_ Lucario spoke up after a long moment of stunned silence.

Ash nodded and prepared to leave. "Sure, my mother told me story of the Aura Guardian Sir Aaron and how he saved the Kingdom of Cameron," he said as he tiptoed out of his room. He quickly snuck past his mother's room and rushed out of the hotel. To his luck the reception area was completely devoid of any people, making it easy for Ash to sneak out.

He quickly took off towards Cameron Palace, all the while informing Lucario of what he knew.

* * *

Lucario's sealed form sagged as the enormity of the situation dawned on him.

 _Seven hundred years,_ the Aura Pokémon softly murmured.

His once master was long dead. Everyone he had once known where long dead. Nearly everything he cherished was long gone. Only Cameron Palace and the royal line of the kingdom remained to bind him to his past.

 _What am I supposed to do with my life now?_ He questioned himself.

He could once again pledge his allegiance to the royal house of Cameron, but everything would be different now. From what he could gather from what Ash had told him the world was a lot calmer now. Wars where rare and almost never happened anymore. Big bands of mercenaries that wreaked havoc everywhere in his time no longer existed. Humanity in general was a lot more peaceful than they were in the past. The unsavory elements of society, while certainly still there, had been more or less tamed. The Kingdom of Cameron no longer needed protection.

The child, Ash (he even had a name similar to his long dead former master. A part of him mused on how many more coincidences he would run into with the child), had been most enlightening.

Ash had told him the legend surrounding the death of his former master and how he had presumably saved the kingdom of Cameron. One part of him felt disgusted that his traitor of a former master was heralded as a hero, but on the other hand a part of him wanted nothing more than to believe the legend. Maybe, just maybe, Sir Aaron hadn't betrayed his trust and had sealed him away with good intentions.

He was still very angry and bitter at his former master but there was an underlying emotion under it now. It grew stronger with every moment.

Hope.

Hope that his former master had indeed been loyal until the end. Hope that his former master had indeed respected him as his student. And hope that his former master had indeed regarded them as friends.

He resolved to travel to the Tree of Beginning as soon as possible. The legend said that Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to save Cameron and he gave his life in the Tree of Beginning to make it happen. Maybe he could find answers there.

But first he needed to be freed.

He had guided Ash back to the castle, his mental voice steering him through secret passageways that where thankfully still there after seven hundred years. This allowed the child to circumvent certain protections and check points and allowed the child to make record time to the castle.

Lucario smiled as Ash entered the room where the staff that held him was being kept.

He would be free soon.

* * *

Ash looked around nervously, scanning the small and dark room for any threats.

He had returned as fast as he could to the castle, Lucario guiding his path and making quick time. Once inside the castle Lucario had instructed him to take several back doors to where he was being kept. He had stuck to the shadows the entire trip. It wouldn't do to be spotted.

It took him almost an hour to reach Lucario.

Finally, after traveling so long alone in the dark he found himself in a dark room in some closed off part of the castle. There where shiny objects all around him. Each piece of jewelry was probably worth a lot, Ash mused.

Before him laid Sir Aaron's staff. It was laid down horizontally on a small dais. Ash hesitantly took a step towards it.

 _Don't be afraid, Ash,_ Lucario's mental voice whispered into his mind. _There are no protections around the staff itself. It's safe, trust me._

Reassured by Lucario's words, Ash walked up to the dais. He paused when he was in front of it, unsure of what to do.

 _Grasp it, I'll do the rest. Be warned, though. This won't hurt, but it might be tiring._

Ash nodded and after a moment's hesitation he firmly grasped the staff, his hands coming to rest on the polished wood.

Immediately Ash could feel energy draining out of him. It was weird feeling, he mused, but not harmful.

Five minutes later Ash's eyes had trouble remaining open. His Aura was still being sucked into the staff and up into the gem that was now shining brightly in a canopy of lights, shining brightly in the dark room.

 _Just a little more,_ Ash's sleep addled mind was only barely able to hear Lucario's muttered words.

In a bright flash of white light a lance of energy sprang from the gem and struck the ground behind Ash. It quickly materialized in the form of Lucario, who grinned as he was finally freed.

Ash's eyes finally shut as his body gave up. He went out like a light and started falling to the floor, his hands slipping from the polished wood of the staff.

Lucario caught him with time to spare and picked Ash up. He cradled the small child in his arms.

 _Thank you, Ash,_ the newly freed Pokémon muttered with his Aura Voice, which echoed lightly in the room.

Ash hadn't heard what Lucario had said. He was sleeping deeply as he snored softly. Naturally seeking out the warmth of Lucario's fur Ash actually snuggled as deep as he could into Lucario's chest. Said Pokémon paused and shook his head. This was new, he mused. A child clinging to him like he was a pillow.

Lucario shifted Ash in his arms to make him more comfortable and took off running in a swift sprint, leaving the room behind and quickly running through the passageways and corridors of the castle. With his phenomenal speed he came outside on the castle's courtyard within a minute. He maintained his speed and quickly left the castle grounds before anyone saw them.

* * *

Delia yawned and got out of bed. She glanced over to the clock that hung above her bed in her luxurious hotel room and noted that it was eleven o'clock already. Normally, she would have been up much earlier but it had been quite late last night. She was also quite sure that Ash was still snoring away in his room. She giggled, her child was a very, very deep sleeper.

She walked out of her room, still yawning and made for the kitchen. She entered the small room and was about to make herself breakfast until she spotted something surprising.

Ash was already sitting at the dinner table. He smiled at her, but he looked extremely tired. There were small bags under his eyes and he leaned on the dinner table, as if he was too tired to sit up straight. He yawned deeply as he wished her good morning.

Delia felt a stab of guilt. Maybe they shouldn't have stayed up so late last night.

She softly murmured as she approached her child. "If you're still tired you can go back to bed if you want, sweetie."

Ash smiled tiredly at her but shook his head. "I need to tell you something first, mom. Could you please sit down, I don't think you're gonna like what I'm about to tell you."

Delia felt a spike of worry at her child's words. She still heeded them and took a seat across from him. She looked at him with worried eyes.

Ash smiled at his mother. "Relax, mom. I'm perfectly fine, just a bit tired." He took a deep breath as he started to explain. "Mom, last night, someone came to me asking for help." Immediately spotting the widening of his mother's eyes he hurried to explain. "Don't get me wrong, mom. He didn't actually break into our hotel room or anything. He just... You know what, since I know you're not gonna believe it, I'll be blunt about it. He made a telepathic connection with me and asked for my help from far, far away."

His mother's brow twitched. "Of course I'm not going believe that! Its ridicules and not to mention impossible!"

 _Is that so?_ a strong telepathic voice suddenly echoed in her head.

Delia's eyes nearly popped out of her skull as her eyes widened to an unnatural degree.

Lucario stopped leaning against the wall of the kitchen and walked towards the table. He placed his paw on Delia's shoulder and went to stand to the side so that both Ash and Delia could see him without problems.

"W-who are you?" Delia asked, stuttering in sudden fear.

 _My name is Lucario. I'm the one who asked your son for help last night,_ the Aura Pokémon replied while frowning at Delia's apparent fear of him. He had switched from his telepathic speech to his Aura Voice.

Delia seemed to gather herself and gave Lucario a hard look. Said Pokémon was impressed at how fast the mother was able to rally herself.

"And why, do tell me, did you need my son's help in the middle if the night?" She asked, a rather hard edge to her voice.

 _Do you mind if I take a seat first? This is going to be a rather long and complicated story to tell,_ Lucario said, looking her directly in the eyes. He was even more impressed when Delia didn't even flinch from his scarlet eyed gaze. Quite a lot of people he had encountered in his own time were afraid to look him in the eyes. His deep red eyes spooked them.

Delia nodded after a moment of thought. Lucario gave a reassuring nod at the mother and took a seat at the table. He shot a glance at Ash and then turned to look seriously at Delia.

 _The short version is that my master sealed me into his staff seven hundred years ago. And your son was the only one with a power similar enough to my former master's power to be able to free me. You already know of my former master. His name was Sir Aaron._ Delia gasped, recognition sparking in her eyes. _My story began seven hundred years ago, you actually know a part of it already; Ash told me you read the tale of the Aura Guardian Sir Aaron to him before you came here. Anyways, Sir Aaron was actually my master and teacher in the ways of the Aura._

Lucario paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. _The tale you've read portrays my former master as a hero who sacrificed himself in order to save Cameron from the impending battle of two armies who were mere moments away from clashing and destroying everything around them._

Delia swiftly cut in. "And you're telling me that story is false?"

Lucario paused before answering. _I'm truly not sure. You see, my former master had fled Cameron Palace, leaving Queen Rin behind. I caught up to him as he was traveling towards the Tree of Beginning and questioned what he was doing. He didn't answer me and denounced me as his student, saying that he wasn't my master anymore. He left me behind as he continued on to the Tree of Beginning. I followed, of course, only for him to seal me into his staff for unknown reasons._

Both Delia and Ash frowned. Delia because she simply didn't like the fact that a story that she loved might not be true. And Ash because he looked up to Sir Aaron. His legend portrayed what a real hero should be, selfless and noble. But if what Lucario said was true, and Ash was inclined to believe his words, then he might just have been a coward who had opted to flee instead of staying to fight.

He didn't like it one bit.

 _I tried to free myself last night at the ball, but the staff holding me was taken from the room before I was able to draw enough Aura from Ash in order to escape. Luckily, I know a technique that allows me to speak to people over long distances. I contacted Ash and convinced him to help him. I guided him back to the castle where he freed me. Then, I carried him back here, and since I thought that you two deserved an explanation I stayed to explain things to you,_ Lucario finished, looking seriously at Delia.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Lucario snorted, feeling a sense of déjà vu. _Ash can tell you. He released me from Sir Aaron's staff, the staff you saw yesterday at the ball. That should be proof enough._

The mother's eyes turned to Ash, who nodded sleepily at his mother. "It's true, mom."

Delia's eyes narrowed at Lucario. "Now that you're free what are you going to do?" She questioned sharply.

 _I'm gonna go to the Tree of Beginning to find out the truth. I need to know if Sir Aaron did indeed betray me or that his legend is true after all,_ Lucario answered curtly.

Ash suddenly cut in. "When are you leaving?"

 _As soon as we're done talking, I'll set out._

Delia frowned. "Don't you need to prepare provisions first?"

 _No,_ Lucario answered flatly. _I take what I need from the land._

Ash smiled sleepily. "I wish you the best of luck, Lucario," he said, as his eyelids started dropping. He was close to falling asleep.

 _Go to bed, Ash. You need to sleep and recover,_ Lucario said, his Aura voice betraying his concern.

Delia nodded and got up to escort her son to his room. Ash didn't protest and was swiftly herded to his bed where he almost immediately fell asleep.

Lucario spoke as Delia returned to the kitchen. _I owe your son my freedom,_ he said quietly. _How long will you be staying?_

Delia frowned in thought. "We'll return to Pallet Town in eight days."

 _If I return in time I'll teach him how to reach his Aura,_ Lucario said, looking into the distance. _He deserves to be able to use his gift._

Delia looked concerned. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

Lucario shook his head and stood up from his chair. _No, it's his own energy. It can't harm him._ He walked towards one of the wide kitchen windows and opened it. _I'm leaving now. I hope I'll be back before you leave._

Not waiting for an answer Lucario jumped out of the window. His immense strength carried him across the street as he flipped to land on a roof. He landed and took off running over the rooftops. His eyes locked with his goal. The massive shadow of the Tree of Beginning. It was barely visible in the distance as it was obscured by the morning mist.

It was going to be a tiring journey, he knew. But he needed to do this. In order to set his own doubts to rest.

To see if his master had indeed betrayed him.

* * *

Three days.

It had taken Lucario three days of non-stop traveling in order to reach his goal. Three days of traveling through rugged valleys and hills. Then up the gigantic structure that was known as the Tree of Beginning. He could now say one thing with absolute certainty. The tales didn't do justice to the beauty of the Tree of Beginning.

Lucario came rushing out of a tunnel and entered the Core of the Tree of Beginning.

The sight took his breath away.

All over the room gigantic blue crystals sprouted out of the strange green segmented walls and the smooth glass like floor to curve up and to come together above the center piece of the room.

In the middle of the room was a giant, crystalline structure that looked almost like a blossoming flower. Bright blue energy pulsed upwards out of it and up into the surface of the Tree of Beginning, giving the tree its power.

Lucario could feel the immense power flowing from it. His Aura senses screamed at him, nearly overloading at being in the presence of this immense and all-consuming power.

He took a hesitant step forwards, but froze almost immediately.

Sir Aaron's gloves, carrying the mark of the Aura Guardian, hung from one of the smaller crystals that made up the structure in the center of the room. He quickly walked towards it and kneeled down to get a better look at them.

 _Could it be?_ Lucario whispered out loud. _These are his gloves, but..._ He trailed off as he touched the gloves resting over the crystals, looking up at the large mound of crystals beside the small ones. He stared at it for a moment. _Sir Aaron?_

Lucario raised his paw and formed an Aura Sphere. A distinctly human shape trapped within the crystals responded to it, glowing the same color and becoming visible.

 _It is you,_ Lucario whispered. He almost didn't believe his eyes.

Lucario allowed his Aura Sphere to dissipate and placed his paw back on the ground, accidentally nudging a Time Flower.

A Time Flower is a crystalized flower that grows in and around the Tree of Beginning. It has the ability to record events and play them at a later date as a holographic image along with sound, if it's stimulated by the right Aura.

He looked down, surprised. The Time Flower twisted open and released an orb of light. The orb of light abruptly expanded to cover the room, overlapping the room with a black and white view, giving Lucario a glimpse into the past.

Lucario knew he had just activated a Time Flower. He had a feeling that all his questions were about to be answered.

Sir Aaron came rushing into the cavern, his cape billowing behind him in his haste. "Mew! I know you're here! Show yourself Mew! I need your help!"

Lucario's ears twitched as he heard the high-pitched and haunting call of a bird. He looked up, and spotted, to his surprise, a black and white image of Ho-Oh perched on one of the gigantic crystals that dotted the cavern. Its body glowed for a split second before it shifted into the much smaller form of Mew.

Mew flew down and came to rest in front of the visually relieved Sir Aaron.

"Mew, I realize that you and this tree are one. This fighting has shifted the power of the tree, and I know you can set it right, but you need help. Please, take my Aura, and save the people," the memory of Sir Aaron said and stretched out his arm towards the memory of Mew.

"Mew," the small Legendary nodded and cooed at Sir Aaron.

An Aura Sphere appeared in front of his hand. The crystals on his gloves shimmered with the focused energy.

Lucario knew what he was about to witness. Sir Aaron's death.

"The power of Aura will prevail!" Sir Aaron shouted. His body pulsed and shook with the energy that he was forcing away from his body and into Mew.

Sir Aaron's Aura Sphere grew and surrounded Mew. Lucario cringed, he knew what Sir Aaron was doing. He was giving all his Aura to Mew, forfeiting his life in the process.

"AAAAAH!" Sir Aaron's final yell of exertion echoed throughout the cavern as Mew's energy exploded outwards.

 _Sir Aaron!_ Lucario yelled. He grasped towards the memory of his former master.

The memory abruptly vanished.

Lucario was shocked into motionlessness. His paw grasped nothing but empty air. After a moment he numbly lowered it.

The Aura Pokémon turned to look at the animated and trapped form of Sir Aaron. Sorrow and regret filled him. Tears gathered in his eyes. His master had indeed given his life to save the kingdom just like the legend had said, and he, the very own student of Sir Aaron, had believed the man to be a traitor and a coward who had abandoned him.

It was inexcusable.

 _Forgive me for ever doubting you, master,_ Lucario's Aura Voice came out as nothing more than a whimper. He slumped as tears streamed like two tiny rivers from his eyes. Droplets fell towards the smooth and glass-like floor of the chamber. He choked and sobbed softly. His grief was overpowering.

It was because of this that he didn't notice the tiny, but extremely powerful presence that had just appeared behind him, until it spoke.

 _Don't be sad,_ it whispered into his mind.

Lucario's head came up and snapped around. His scarlet eyes widened as he took in the physical representation of the Tree of Beginning: Mew.

Mew floated towards him. The mighty being's eyes where stained with sorrow as it regarded Lucario.

 _Your Master died a hero. He gave his life to save the tree and the people he was sworn to protect. It was a fitting end for a man as honorable as Sir Aaron,_ Mew said. Her mental voice echoed in Lucario's mind.

 _I-I believed him to be a traitor! I believed him to be a coward! I hated him! I despised him! How could I have possibly doubted the man who took me in and trained me into a mighty warrior! How can I ever forgive myself!_ Lucario's Aura Voice dropped into a whisper. How can I ever attain my master's forgiveness?

Mew smiled. An expression filled with childish innocence. _You don't need to attain forgiveness, Lucario. Your master cared for you like few people could ever hope to care for another. He would forgive you in a heartbeat._

 _How do you know that?_ Lucario whispered demurely.

Mew pointed with one of her stubby arms towards the side, towards another Time Flower. _Find out for yourself._

Lucario hesitantly removed his eyes from Mew and looked at the Time Flower. He walked up to it and dropped into a crouch in front of it. Lightly tapping it with his paw, he activated it.

The Time Flower twisted open and a ball of light floated up out of it. It quickly expanded to cover the room and began to play the recorded memory.

Directly besides Lucario, the memory of Sir Aaron slumped to the ground. He took his gloves off of his hands and laid them onto the crystals where Lucario had found them. Sir Aaron leaned back against the crystal. His body glowed a sickly muted green and waves of energy surrounded him as his life bled away. Sir Aaron struggled with the pain for a moment, before looking off into the distance, a sad expression on his face. "Lucario, forgive me."

To Lucario, it almost felt as if Sir Aaron was speaking to him in the same time and space. The time didn't really matter though, his words were heard and acknowledged all the same. _I forgive you, master._

"Please understand, I had to seal you inside of the staff," Sir Aaron continued, as if he knew that Lucario would one day stumble onto that very Time Flower to find the memory. Maybe he had. "I knew that if I didn't, you would follow me here and suffer the same fate. I only wish you could have known the real story."

Lucario was crying again. _I understand._

"One day, someone will release you from that staff. In a distant and more peaceful time. I wonder what it'll be like." He smiled as he looked up. "I wonder if-" He groaned in anguish, cutting of his words.

Lucario clenched his fists. He wished, oh how he wished that he had been there with his master in his final moments.

"I have no regrets," Sir Aaron said. "My journey has been good. I served a beautiful queen, and you and I shared many adventures." He closed his eyes with a smile on his face. "Those memories will always be with me."

 _Master,_ Lucario whispered. He was shaking with tears. _If only you could hear me. I want to tell you how much you mean to me._

"Farewell Lucario," Aaron said, the smile never leaving his face. "You were more to me than just my student, you are my closest friend."

 _I feel the same,_ Lucario choked out.

"It could be..." Sir Aaron said as he opened his eyes. They were clouded with tears, "That one day, we will see each other again." He closed his eyes. A single tear fell down his cheek, but his smile never faded. "But, before that, I want you to have more adventures with new people, to live life to its fullest. I hope so, my friend." Sir Aaron faded away as he become one with the Tree of Beginning, his body becoming a part of the crystals that gave the tree its power.

In a flash of light, the memory vanished.

Lucario couldn't stop his tears from falling. His master and friend deserved the tears he was shedding. He sobbed as he knelt in front of the place where Aaron was trapped. _Sir Aaron, my friend, I'm sorry I let you down._

 _You haven't let him down,_ Mew whispered into Lucario's mind. _He knew perfectly well that you would be hurt and confused by his actions. That's why he left that message for you. This just proves how much he cared for you._ Mew looked down at Lucario and smiled. _Honor his memory, Lucario. Live your life and be happy._

 _But... But how am I supposed to do that? I've nothing left. Nothing to live my life for. What am I supposed to do with myself?_ Lucario murmured as he looked up to Mew imploringly.

Mew gave Lucario an earnest look with her deep and expressive blue eyes. _You have indeed felt a great loss, Lucario. But the friendships and the bonds you've made with Sir Aaron and the people back in your own time haven't disappeared. The affection you felt for them is still there inside of you and you can use that affection to make new bonds and friendships. I believe you've already started to make a new bond with someone._

 _Ash,_ Lucario whispered as he stood up right. He felt empowered by Mew's words.

 _That's right,_ Mew said with a nod of approval. _He's already wormed himself a place in your heart, hasn't he? Don't answer, I can feel it._ Mew's smile threatened to split her face in two. _Go to him, Lucario. He'll be your first friend in this new world._

Lucario nodded and smiled at Mew. He looked at Sir Aaron's form one last time and gave it a watery smile before snagging up his masters gloves and bolting from the chamber, leaving Mew behind.

Mew gave one last smile at the retreating figure of Lucario. _Look after him and make him strong, Lucario. He's gonna need all the help he can get. His station demands it._

* * *

It took Lucario another three days of traveling to return to the town of Rota. It was rather late when he arrived. The sun was going down the horizon, bathing the world in a brilliant orange glow.

The moment Lucario arrived at the city's outskirts he closed his eyes and raised his arm, placing his palm in front of his chest spike. _The Aura is with me!_ He called out as he focused his Aura, causing the black tube-like extensions on the back of his head to raise up into the air. His Aura sight activated, allowing him to see half a mile into the city, aiding him in his search for Ash.

It didn't even take half a minute for Lucario to find Ash. He was with his mother at the park in the center of the city. Ash was playing in the grass while Delia watched him fondly. He was happy to see that they were alone near a pond far away from the path and far away from any prying eyes.

He took off running again, becoming nothing more than a blur to the people he passed as he shot through the town towards his goal. Lucario tightly clenched the paw that held Sir Aaron's gloves.

He was still very sad and had cried a few times on his way back, but he refused to be drowned by his sorrow. He knew that Sir Aaron wanted him to move on with his life, and he would do just that. He would work through his sadness, he would make new friends and he would make a new future and place for himself in this new word. Lucario swore to himself that he'd succeed.

He would make Sir Aaron proud.

Lucario arrived at the park in less than a minute. With his Aura senses guiding him Lucario quickly found Ash and Delia in the secluded part of the park. Smiling, he emerged from the tree line. He then slowly approached the mother and son.

Both heard the soft crunch of the grass under Lucario's feet as he approached and turned to look at him. Their eyes widened in surprise and Ash got a wild grin on his face. The grin grew wider as he got up from the grass.

"Lucario, you're back!" he nearly shouted as he ran up to Lucario. Delia followed behind, also looking happy to see the Aura Pokémon again.

"Well, how'd it go?" Delia asked, referring to his quest to uncover the truth regarding his master.

The Aura Pokémon smiled, an expression that surprised Ash and Delia. _I'm glad to say that my assumptions were wrong._

Ash gained a glint in his eyes. "So he really was a hero?"

Lucario nodded. _Yes, he was the greatest hero there ever was. The legend is completely true._

Delia smiled. "I guess you have quite a story to tell. Care to share it?"

Lucario snorted and smiled back at her. _I would love to, but first I want to rest a bit. Do you mind if I stay with you for the night? I'm very tired._

Delia was surprised by the request but nodded nonetheless. "Sure, you can stay with us. Just make sure no one sees you when we go back to hotel. People will be surprised to see a Pokémon suddenly staying with us. Not to mention that the hotel managers might make us pay extra if they know of you."

Lucario nodded. _Don't worry, I can be very stealthy when I want to be. No one will know I'm staying with you._

Ash then noticed the gloves tightly clenched in Lucario's paws. "Hey, Lucario. What are those?"

Lucario looked at what Ash was staring at and smiled at him. _These are my master's gloves. They aided him with focusing his Aura. Here, do you want to hold them?_ He asked as he held the gloves out for Ash to take.

Ash took them with excitement practically vibrating through his entire frame. He ran his fingers over the silk like material reverently. "These really belonged to Sir Aaron?" He whispered.

Lucario's smile grew. _They certainly did. If you take good care of them I'll even let you keep them._

Ash's head snapped up. His eyes where gleaming, "Really?"

 _Yes,_ Lucario said simply.

Delia looked at her watch. "It's getting late. We should start heading back to the hotel," she said and took Ash's hand in her own. "And Lucar-"

 _You won't even notice I'm there,_ Lucario assured.

Delia nodded and started making her way out of the park, tugging Ash along with her. Lucario followed, melting into the shadows as he followed behind.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Ash said drily. He was staring incredulously at Lucario, who looked calmly back at him from the other end of the kitchen table. "You went to Tree of Beginning, where you found these Time Flower's that can record moments in history. From these, you found out that Sir Aaron had indeed sacrificed his life to save Cameron Palace and Rota with help from Mew! The! Mew! Mew comforted you, and then you came back here."

Lucario nodded with a straight face. _Exactly._

Ash snorted. The story sounding completely ridicules. "If you were Human, I would have never believed that story in a thousand years."

The Aura Pokémon cocked his brow. _Oh, how come?_

Delia giggled from her seat at the table and answered for her son. "It's just that what you've described is rather hard to believe. Really, what you've just told us sounds like the plot of a drama movie."

Lucario blinked. _What's a movie?_

Ash grinned. "We've got to show you a movie sometimes. Believe me, you'd love it."

Lucario shook his head, dispelling his thoughts before looking Ash in the eyes. _Tell me, Ash. Did your mother tell you of the offer I made if I came back in time?_

Ash's grin grew so much that it nearly split his face in half. "You mean the one where you promised to teach me how to use my Aura?" He said excitedly.

Lucario nodded. _Yes, that one,_ he took a deep breath and calmed himself. This was it. _One thing you need to understand, Ash, is that learning how to control Aura takes years of effort. The best I'd be able to teach you before you leave is how to feel its presence and how to access it. Anything else would take too much time._

Ash frowned at that. "Really? What a bummer."

Lucario hesitated for a brief moment before steeling himself and making his proposition. _Ash, I'm more than willing to teach you all there is to know about Aura, but that will take time. Time that we do not have... If I stay here, that is._ Ash and Delia shot him a confused look at his last remark. He took a deep breath before speaking quietly. _There's nothing here for me anymore, Ash. Everything I once knew is long gone. If it's all right with you and your mother, I would like to come with you. It would give me a chance to start over in a new place while also giving you the chance to learn how to control your Aura._

Ash's eyes bugged out in surprise. Delia gasped, equally as surprised as her son. "Y-you would do that for me?" Ash stuttered.

Lucario smiled lightly. _I like you, Ash, and I would love to pass on my knowledge of Aura. Besides, this is my chance to start over. It's a win-win situation for me._

Ash turned to look at his mother pleadingly. In the end, she was the one who would get final say if Lucario was to be allowed to come with them. He hoped with all his heart that she would say yes to Lucario's proposition.

Delia hummed in thought. Lucario's proposition had thrown her for a loop, but she gave it honest thought. Whenever she was faced with a difficult choice she liked to make a mental list of advantages and disadvantages of either possible option.

Immediately the advantages of accepting Lucario's proposal sprung up to her.

For one, it would teach Ash how to defend himself. Dealing with Pokémon could be dangerous at times, and with her son's ambition to become a Pokémon trainer it would be very reassuring to know that her son could defend himself. In addition, Aura was a part of him. He had the right to learn how to use it. On top of that Delia knew that Lucario wouldn't need any up keep or anything. He evidently knew how to take care of himself.

She tried to think of any disadvantages, but came to a startling conclusion.

There weren't any.

The choice was easily made.

"Sure, why not," Delia said with a big grin.

"Thank you mom!" The smile that blossomed on Ash's face lighting up the room. Lucario nodded thankfully at the mother, smiling. His eyes also became a bit moist as well. He raised a paw to rub them while steadfastly telling himself that he had something in his eyes.

"Something wrong, Lucario?" Ash asked in concern. "Are you crying? I've something that might help," he said as he took out a small leaf from his pocket.

Lucario shook his head as he finished wiping his eyes. _No, everything's all rig-_ He got cut of as Ash placed the leaf against his mouth and started playing. The soothing tones of Oración, perfectly played, echoed in the room.

Lucario's eyes involuntarily dropped as the soothing tones washed over him. He sagged into his chair as the music relaxed him. All his sadness, residual anger and self-loathing for himself disappeared in an instant. All dark emotions vanished and were replaced by a feeling of peace and contentment.

Delia closed her eyes and smiled as she listened intently to her son's song. She loved it. So much so that she insisted that her son played it to her at least once every three days.

With one last high-pitched note, Ash finished the song and removed the leaf from his mouth. He smiled at the relaxed form of Lucario. "All better now?"

Lucario's bright red eyes fluttered open. _Wha-what was that?_

"Oración," Ash answered. His smile widened. "A song that calms the mind and banishes the darkest of emotions. A friend taught it to me about a year ago. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

 _It is,_ Lucario admitted. He straightened in his seat and smiled gratefully at Ash. He felt so much lighter now, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He decided then and there that Ash was special, and that he would do everything in his power to make him great. Lucario would be Ash's mentor just like Sir Aaron was his. He would teach him everything he would need to know to be great. Everything about Aura, Pokémon, survival skills and everything in between. He swore it to himself.

"Now that that's settled," Delia said as she clapped her hands. "How about some breakfast?" Her son nodded brightly. His stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, causing Ash to blush. Delia giggled and got up to make breakfast. Even Lucario chuckled at him.

"Hey, Lucario," Ash said, gaining the Aura Pokémon's attention. He reached over the table towards Lucario with his hand open for a handshake. "Friends?"

Lucario's lip's twitched into a smile as he reached over and shook Ash's hand with his own spiked paw. _Friends._

Ash's soft smile did wonders to light up Lucario's spirits even more.

The second piece of the puzzle fell into place.

* * *

Ash Ketchum - Age 9

Johto Region - Alto Mare.

* * *

Beautiful, a certain nine year old mused as he stared at the horizon.

In the distance, the water city of Alto Mare slowly but surely became visible as the cruise liner Ash was currently on came closer and closer to the water-locked city. The sun rose in the distance, bathing the city and the ocean in a warm orange glow. The day had just started.

He was on the deck, leaning on the railing as he looked off into the distance.

"Are you excited, sweetie?" Delia asked her child from the side as she leaned on the railing as well. Her hair whipped around in the strong wind and her smile was bright enough to shine.

"Of course I am! Alto Mare is famous for its guardians, the Legendary Pokémon Latias and Latios! With my luck I might just run into them! And even if I don't get to see them the city itself is more than worth the trip!" Ash cried excitedly.

Delia giggled. She absolutely adored her child's excitable nature. "You're right. With your luck you might just run into them. The most improbable things always seem to happen around you. Like the time when we ran into that herd of Nidoran. And instead of chasing us of like their nature should have demanded you had them playing with you in mere moments."

Ash smiled in remembrance. The memories his mother had just called up were very fun. They had been visiting Vermilion City and when they had been wandering through the grasslands surrounding the city they had run into a huge herd of Nidoran, headed by a Patriarch Nidoking and Matriarch Nidoqueen. Before things could have turned sour Ash had taken out his leaf whistle and had played Oración, calming down the Patriarch and Matriarch and quieting down their herd. After that it was a simple matter of manipulating his Aura to convey his friendliness to the herd in order to gain their trust.

He had the playful Nidoran eating out of his palm in moments. They loved to play and Ash was more than willing to play with them.

Ash's smile turned into a grin as he thought of Lucario, who had taught him in the ways of the Aura Guardian. He absent-mindedly tugged at the Pokéball that was attached to a simple silver chain that hung around his neck, the one that held his teacher and closest friend. Shortly after going home with them Lucario had found out about Pokéballs and their uses in the modern world. While initially weary of the device he had to admit that it was a very convenient way of taking Pokémon with you.

Lucario, knowing how much his student traveled with his mother and unwilling to be separated from him for long periods of times, seeing that traveling around with them out in the open might lead to sticky situations in the current world, had procured a Pokéball from Professor Oak and had handed it to Ash. After explaining his reasoning to the child, he had let himself be captured by his student.

Ash was now officially a trainer, but he didn't consider himself a true trainer. A real trainer had to actually train their Pokémon. With Lucario, the situation was reversed. The Aura Pokémon was training Ash. Lucario himself was such an advanced Pokémon that Ash, while having learned a lot about Pokémon in the last year from Lucario, was unable to help him in sharpening his own skills.

Lucario was still training himself, of course, and was slowly growing stronger. It was actually a scary thought to Ash. Lucario was strong the moment they had met, amazingly so. Professor Oak, who was the only person besides Delia and Ash who knew of Lucario, had tested the Aura Pokémon in battle shortly after they had first met with his own battle hardened Pokémon.

Elite level; that was how strong Professor Oak had rated Lucario. Considering that Elite level Pokémon were considered only a little bit weaker then Pokémon from, let's say, the Elite Four, that was saying something.

Ash blinked as his mother called for his attention.

"Get your stuff, sweetie. We will be docking soon. I want to check into our hotel and start exploring the city as fast as possible."

Ash nodded excitedly and ran down the deck towards their cabin. He entered and promptly started to pack his stuff back into his backpack. Not having a lot of stuff to pack he was done within ten minutes and quickly left to rejoin his mother, who had already gathered all her own stuff the night before.

He rejoined his mother at the railing. Ash smiled as he spotted Alto Mare again. The city of water was far closer now, close enough that he could make out some of its architecture and structures.

It was indeed very beautiful.

Alto Mare was a very nice and peaceful looking island city, Ash noted from a single glance. The mass of canals leading into the city proper were bound to make things fun when they entered. He couldn't wait to start exploring it with his mother and Lucario. Ash reminded himself to release the jackal-like Pokémon at the first possible opportunity.

It didn't take long for the cruise liner to arrive at Alto Mare's main port. The ship quickly anchored itself to the dock and people started moving towards the ramps to disembark. Ash noted as they walked that several ships were already anchored in the harbor. Hundreds of people were moving around the place, loading and unloading the boats or embarking and disembarking, depending on the function of the vessel.

"We have arrived at the island city of Alto Mare," the ship's captain informed everyone over the ships speakers rather unnecessarily. "All passenger may now take the ramp down to the city."

They waited a bit for the crowd to dissipate along the boarding ramp, seeing as the number of people descending was big and they didn't want to deal with the crowd. As the crowd lessened, Ash and his mother quickly disembarked and walked onto the port. The duo quickly left the uncomfortably crowded port behind, arriving at an adjacent canal where they took a gondola into the city and towards their hotel.

Ash whistled in awe as he observed in the cities beautiful architecture. The city's canals and ancient history combined made it one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. Delia looked around, equally as awed by the city of water. She took out a camera and started making pictures of everything that caught her interests.

"Hey, what's that?" Ash asked as he pointed towards two pillars that rose out over a low built house in the distance. He could see statues on top of the pillars, depicting what appeared to be Pokémon. He had an inkling of which Pokémon they represented.

"Those statues depict the Guardians of Alto Mare, Latias and Latios," the man guiding the gondola answered, confirming Ash's thoughts. "Legend has it that they watch over our city and protect us in case of danger."

"Are they just statues or do they really exist?" Delia wanted to know.

"I sure would love to meet the real ones," Ash commented with a big grin.

"Me too," the guide said. "We've never really seen them, though. Because everything is always so peaceful around here. There was never any need for them to protect us."

"If this city has always been so peaceful, then why does it need two Legendary Pokémon to protect it in the first place?" Ash asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Because..." The guide fell silent, blinking in confusion as he had no answer. "I've got no clue to be honest," the man admitted.

"Look, there's our hotel!" Delia said as she pointed into the distance towards a pretty large three-story building with a small plaza in front of it that separated it from the canal. The guide quickly steered the gondola towards it.

After thanking and paying the guide Ash and Delia entered their hotel. The duo walked up to the reception area, counting themselves lucky that they were the only ones checking in at the moment.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The pretty brown-haired receptionist asked cheerily as the mother and son approached.

"We would like to check in, please," Delia said brightly. "The names are Delia and Ash Ketchum."

The receptionist nodded and punched in some commands into her computer, looking up the necessary data. A couple of seconds later she smiled and nodded to herself. Then she took out a key from underneath her desk and handed it to Delia. "Room number 12 is where you'll be staying. It's on the second floor. Please, enjoy your stay," she said kindly.

Delia nodded her thanks and headed for their room, Ash trailing behind her. The duo quickly found their room and entered. Both were pleasantly surprised by the room's lavish interior. There were several large, soft looking beds in the comfortable room and the room was beautifully decorated in an old, but comfy style.

"Niiiiiiice," Ash whistled in appreciation. "Let's unpack and then head out, mom. I can hardly wait!"

"Of course, honey," Delia said, smiling.

The two quickly unpacked and chose the bed that they would be sleeping in for the night. Delia quickly went into the small attached bathroom. Ash sat down on his bed. He grinned and yanked the Pokéball from the chain around his neck.

"Come on out, Lucario," he said and released the Aura Pokémon in front of him with the push of a button. In a flash of white light Lucario appeared kneeling in front of Ash. Said Pokémon grinned and stood up right.

Ash stood as well and gave his mentor a small bow. The jackal-like Pokémon returned the gesture and smiled at his student.

 _Well, Ash. What will we be doing today?_ Lucario questioned, his Aura voice echoing in the room.

"We're going to explore Alto Mare, of course!" Ash answered, grinning. "You can stay out of your Pokéball in the city. I saw many people keep their Pokémon outside of their Pokéball on the way here."

 _Really? That's great!_ Lucario said, his good mood soaring. While he had nothing against being inside a Pokéball - as a matter of fact, he found it rather comfortable - but he enjoyed being out and about with his student.

 _Anything in particular you want to see?_ Lucario asked curiously.

"Besides the Legendary Pokémon Latias and Latios? Just the city itself, the Alto Mare museum and Alto Mare's main square," Ash answered.

 _Sounds fun,_ Lucario commented. He grinned from ear to ear. _When are we heading out?_

"As soon as mom is finished unpacking," Ash said.

"Which can wait 'till tomorrow," Delia said as she returned from the bathroom. She grinned at her surprised son. "Let's go dear, or do you want to wait?"

"Hell no!" Ash said and quickly ran out the door. Delia and Lucario followed behind, their eyes dancing in mirth.

* * *

"Man that was fun!" Ash's excited shout rang out over the Alto Mare's main square where, coincidently, a town celebration was being held in honor of the Legendary Pokémon Latias and Latios. His shout drew a few odd looks from the surrounding people, but he had long since learned to ignore them. Some of those looks lingered on Lucario, who was right besides Ash, since most people didn't recognize what kind of Pokémon Lucario was.

 _It was amusing,_ Lucario admitted, referring to the carnival-like ride he had just ridden.

Delia came walking up to them, having come back from a stall where they sold cotton candy. She had two sticks of the delicious cotton candy. One she handed to Ash and the other she kept to herself. She knew that Lucario didn't like sweets.

"Thanks mom!" Ash took the cotton candy gratefully. He nodded towards his mother in appreciation and took a bite from it. Lucario wrinkled his nose at it, but kept his opinion to himself.

"My pleasure, sweetie," Delia said and smiled at her son. She took a bite from her own cotton candy and looked around. The elaborately decorated city square was packed to seams with people. "I think we've done everything worth doing here," she commented while taking another bite from her cotton candy. "It's getting late. Let's head towards the museum before it closes."

"Awesome, I've heard a lot of great stuff about it," Ash said and followed his mother. They quickly left the city's main square behind and came to another canal where a guide with a gondola was already waiting for them. Said guide gave Lucario a strange look, but shrugged it off, thinking that Lucario was just some exotic Pokémon.

A ten minute trip in the gondola later and finishing their cotton candy, the trio found themselves in front of Alto Mare's famous museum. After paying the guide for his services the group quickly headed towards their destination. Ash looked from side to side and noted that they had just passed in between two ornate pillars that framed the approach to the museum.

He looked back at the museum and was surprised at its appearance. "It looks more like a palace then a museum," he mused.

Delia nodded. "True, it's not something you would expect to find in a city like this."

Lucario smiled. _What are we waiting for? Let's head in!_ He said and walked forwards. Delia and Ash followed.

Shortly after entering the museum the trio split up and went their separate ways, heading into the direction they thought they would find the most interesting things. All three of them 'oohed' and 'aahed' over the sculptures, tapestries, ancient texts, statues and paintings they encountered on their way through the museum.

Lucario received strange looks from everyone in the museum, but he ignored them and continued to enjoy the unique sights. One portly older man, a curator at the museum, looked curiously at Lucario and decided to follow him around for a bit.

Ash, Delia and Lucario met up again at the very back of the museum, right near an antechamber that held the most important objects in the museum: The DMA and the fossilized bones of an Aerodactyl and Kabutops.

They paused in surprise as they spotted something surprising down on the ground. They looked down towards the two fossilized skeletons of long dead ancient Pokémon embedded into the museum's marble floor. "Wow, cool. Pokémon fossils," Ash said, looking down in awe.

"They sure are," the portly elderly man said as he boldly walked up to the group. "It's also a reminder of our past. These fossils are of Pokémon that once terrorized Alto Mare. One was an Aerodactyl and the other was a-"

"Kabutops," Delia interrupted, guessing.

"That's right," the elderly man nodded in confirmation. "Come, have a look over here."

The man led the group towards the end of the chamber and up a short flight of stairs, where a strange machine was situated. "This is called the DMA. The Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare."

"And what is this Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

The old curator launched into an ancient and well-rehearsed tale. His voice echoed in the antechamber as he spoke. "Long ago, the Aerodactyl and Kabutops were taught by an evil trainer to attack people, so everyone lived in fear until Latios came and brought water to the city, drowning the evil Pokémon and turning our streets into canals. That's when the city was named Alto Mare, which means 'High Sea'. That was also when they built the DMA. They wanted to make sure that no one would disrupt their peace ever again. Fortunately, we've never had to use it."

Lucario whistled in appreciation. _Good forethought. I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised._

The curator's head snapped towards Lucario, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he beheld a Pokémon capable of Human speech. Said Pokémon rolled his eyes. He was very much accustomed to people looking to him like that by now. The first that had looked at him with such bafflement was Professor Oak, and after that pretty much any person who had witnessed him using his Aura Voice had done the same.

"Y-you can talk!?" The curator stuttered.

 _Yes, is there a problem with that?_ Lucario asked drily.

"No, it's just very, very surprising, that's all," the curator said, gathering his wits quickly.

"Oh, don't mind Lucario. He just enjoys shocking people," Ash said, smiling. Lucario's brow twitched in annoyance.

"It's all right. I like shocking people too, mainly with the wonders of Alto Mare. I'm Lorenzo by the way," Lorenzo introduced himself.

"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum," the Aura Guardian trainee returned the gesture.

"And I'm Delia," the mother said with a smile and a nod.

 _Call me Lucario,_ the ancient Pokémon returned.

"Grandfather." A girl around Ash's age walked up to Lorenzo. She was a bit taller than Ash and had brown hair in a peculiar hair style, which was partially covered by a white barrette. She shot Ash, Delia and Lucario in particular inquisitive looks, but shook her head and focused on Lorenzo. "I thought I would find you here. Did you forget our plans for today? You're late for the picnic," the girl chided.

Lorenzo blinked in surprise before his eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh. Sorry, Bianca. I must have completely lost track of time."

Bianca shook her head at her grandfather. "Obviously. Are you coming now?"

Lorenzo nodded, "Of course, of course." He turned towards Ash and the rest. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Maybe I'll see you three again later. Goodbye."

The three returned the goodbye and watched as the grandfather left together with his granddaughter.

* * *

"You know, grandfather. Maybe you're getting too old to work at the museum, considering just how much you're forgetting lately. You should start thinking about retirement," Bianca said mischievously, as she and Lorenzo walked away from the museum.

Lorenzo gave a big, rumbling belly laugh at the suggestion. "No way! I like it too much. Besides, I'd go stir crazy within a month. You can only spend so much time making gondolas before it starts to wear on you. No, my dear Bianca. I will be working at the museum until the day I die," Lorenzo said passionately.

Bianca smiled. "I was expecting that," the girl admitted. She quickly changed topics. "We better hurry. Latios was getting impatient when I left to go look for you."

Lorenzo chuckled. "Then better make haste before Latios eats all our food." He paused as he thought of something. "And what about Latias? I'm having a hard time imaging that _she_ was being the patient one this time around."

Bianca blinked at the question. Her brow furrowed as she thought of the red Eon Dragon and what Latias was doing the moment she had left the Secret Garden. She came to a startling conclusion. "Um, now that I think about it, I don't remember Latias being there..."

Lorenzo facepalmed. "She snuck off on her own again," he muttered, annoyed. "I swear, no matter how many times Latios and I tell her to be more careful and that she should never go off alone without telling anyone, she never listens."

Bianca shrugged, unconcerned. "It wouldn't be the first time that has happened, and nothing bad has ever come of it. I don't see what you have to be so worried about."

Lorenzo sighed. "You just don't understand. If anyone saw her..." he trailed of, looking into the distance with a worried gaze.

Bianca rolled her eyes, "If Latias ever got in trouble she would just use Sight Share with Latios and he would come and save her in a heartbeat."

Lorenzo gave her a deadpan gaze as they rounded a corner into a small side alley. "You're forgetting that Latios has no battle experience whatsoever. Latias and Latios might be Legendary Pokémon and they have a lot of power at their fingertips, but no way to use it in any fashion. They lack the experience and training," the old curator countered.

Bianca snorted. "And you're forgetting that Latias can make herself invisible and take on a Human disguise at will. She would be hard-pressed to get into trouble if people are unable to see her or her real self in the first place."

Lorenzo sighed again. "All right, all right. Let's not argue about this. All that's important right now is that we inform Latios and find Latias."

Bianca nodded in agreement as the pair turned another corner, disappearing into another dark alley. The two continued walking and took many turns into the small and narrow alleyways of Alto Mare, leaving the hustle and bustle of the water city behind.

After some time they came to what appeared to be a dead end. A brick wall blocked their path at the end of the final alley, but both continued on walking, not even pausing. Without breaking stride Bianca and Lorenzo walked up to the wall and passed straight through it, the illusionary wall rippling like water as they passed through.

They came out on the other side and stepped into one of the greatest secrets of Alto Mare: the Secret Garden. The home of the Guardians of Alto Mare, Latias and Latios, and the resting place of the Soul Dew.

Both the grandfather and granddaughter looked around with nostalgic smiles. They both had great memories of this place.

The Secret Garden was a very beautiful place. It's an incredibly large place surrounded by a stone wall, and has many fountains made of brick and contains grassy fields, all sorts of flowers, ponds (natural and manmade), trees of varying sizes (from small to incredibly huge) and essentially looks like a Venetian garden. Light filtered through the green canopy of the garden, throwing shades and blots of light everywhere, highlighting the beauty of everything.

Bianca and Lorenzo's eyes were drawn away from the beautiful scenery, as the blue streamlined draconian figure of Latios approached them.

Latios smiled and cooed in greeting as he approached his longtime friends.

"Hey Latios," Bianca greeted and walked forwards to pet the Eon Dragon. Lorenzo chuckled as Latios gave another coo in delight.

"Latios, do you know where Latias is? Bianca told me that she didn't remember seeing her when she left," Lorenzo said, turning abruptly serious.

Latios paused as he pondered the question. The last time he saw his sisters was moments after they had finished setting everything up for their picnic and he had laid down on the soft grass, waiting till everyone was there for the picnic. The Eon Dragon's eyes darkened and his brow started to twitch in annoyance as he realized that his sister must have slipped off on her own, again.

Lorenzo chuckled ruefully. "I thought so," he muttered. "Well, would please call her. We're all hungry."

Latios threw off his annoyance and nodded. Concentrating, the Eon Dragon called on the bond that he shared with his sister in order to make a mental connection with her. As he was just about to call her, Latios's scarlet eyed gaze widened and he swore loudly, which just sounded like a particularly loud coo to Bianca and Lorenzo.

Without waiting to explain Latios turned on a dime and shot away with the titanic speed his species was known for. He flew to the edge of the Secret Garden and without losing any speed dove into one of the secret waterways lining it, taking a shortcut in order to reach Latias as fast as possible.

Within less than a second, he was gone.

"...I guess something is not quite right," Bianca muttered. Lorenzo facepalmed again.

* * *

"Well, dear. The sun is starting to go down. Maybe it's time to go back to the hotel," Delia said as she put the last spoonful of ice cream sundae in her mouth. She, Ash, and Lucario were sitting at a table outside a nice little restaurant called the Grey Cloyster, right beside a narrow canal. They had decided on having a late night dinner there and had just finished their deserts.

"I don't know. I'm not really tired yet and it didn't look like there was much to do back at the hotel..." Ash said from his place across from her, a bit of a disappointed wine to his voice.

Delia chuckled at her son. "I'm rather tired myself, dear. How about you, Lucario?"

Lucario frowned. _I'm not tired yet either. If we go back now I'll probably have trouble sleeping,_ he admitted. He was a very active Pokémon, after all, and without his daily training regimen to tire him out he simply wasn't tired yet.

Delia nodded. "All right then. I'll go back to the hotel and you two can continue to explore the city," she said, surprising both Ash and Lucario. Delia shot Lucario a hard look. "And you better keep an eye on my son, Lucario. If something happens to him I'll skin you alive," she threatened.

Far from intimidated Lucario raised his paw and bowed lightly from his seated position. _Your wish is my command,_ he said theatrically.

"Be back at the hotel before ten, okay. Here's some money to pay for a gondola or two," Delia said seriously as she handed Ash a small wad of money which he quickly stuffed into his pocket.

Ash laughed. He was surprised by his mother's decision, but he understood why she took it. Thanks to Lucario's teachings he could defend himself pretty well and with Lucario there, a very powerful Pokémon that watched over him, his mother probably felt secure in letting him go out on his own. Besides, he would be leaving home within a year. Delia probably figured that he was ready to go out without her.

"All righty then!" Delia said and clapped her hands. She signaled for a waiter and asked for the bill. The waiter gave Lucario a look, but shrugged it off and gave Delia the bill. Said mother paid it and they quickly left.

Delia said her goodbyes and wished them a fun time before turning around and departing, leaving Lucario and Ash behind on the sidewalk. Ash and Lucario watched her walk away until they lost her in the crowd.

 _Well, what do you want to do now?_ Lucario asked as he turned to look at his student.

"Hmm," Ash hummed as he pondered the question. "Why not just wander around for a bit? I'm sure we'll find something interesting to do eventually."

 _I guess, it's not like I have a better idea,_ the Aura Pokémon admitted with a shrug and started walking. Ash quickly caught up with him.

Eventually, after ten minutes of aimless wandering through the streets of Alto Mare, Ash and Lucario found themselves in a small empty square that was tucked away in some easily missed part of the city. The cobblestone ground of the square was lined by waterways and large thick trees that came close to blocking out the sun with their thick canopies. The surrounding buildings even had statues and carvings built into them. In the very center of this was a small wooden bench.

Both Ash's and Lucario's eyes narrowed as they noticed something.

They were being watched.

On some unspoken agreement teacher and student moved towards the bench and took a seat, discretely looking around as they did so. They saw no one, but their Aura senses where practically screaming at them that something was close by.

The two made small talk as they focused their Aura, concentrating on the presence. It was there, to their left, and was floating in the air. It was invisible and could make itself float. Evidently a Pokémon then.

Both could sense great power from it, but it was wild and untamed, as if its wielder was extremely inexperienced and wasn't capable of harnessing it. That was good, both mused.

They also felt that the being that was watching them was merely curious. There were no bad intentions, merely curiosity. While this made both Ash and Lucario relax a bit, the being was still watching them, spying on them.

They didn't like to be spied on.

As the two continued their facade of relaxation the 'presence' came closer, apparently secure enough in its invisibility to risk getting close enough that merely an outstretched arm would be enough to touch it.

Which was exactly what happened. Both Ash and Lucario suddenly shot out their right arm and grabbed the 'presence', their fingers clenching around the two arm like protrusions of the invisible Pokémon.

The 'presence' squealed in surprise and dropped its invisibility, revealing itself as its concentration broke.

Ash and Lucario blinked in shock and surprise as they realized just what they were grasping. The red streamlined draconian figure of Latias looked back at them, her eyes wide with shock as her two stubby red arms were clenched tightly in the pairs grip.

"Uhhh..." Ash was shocked. This was the last thing he had been expecting. "Hi," he said rather lamely. "Why are you spying on us?"

Lucario's eyes narrowed at the shocked speechless Legendary. He had nothing but respect for the mighty beings that administered and protected the world, but Legendary or not he didn't like to be spied on. He wanted an answer and he would get one.

Latias's golden eyes darted around nervously and her mouth moved but no sound came out. She gathered herself and spoke. Her PokéSpeech was nothing more than a series of high-pitched squeaks and squeals, but Ash was perfectly able to understand it. His Aura automatically translated PokéSpeech into ordinary English, a skill that Lucario had taught him at the beginning of their partnership.

"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just curious about your friend. I know about every single Pokémon in the area but I've never seen a Pokémon like him before," Latias said. She glanced down at her arms. "Could you let me go, please? I promise not to run off."

Ash and Lucario glanced at one another. Coming to a decision they released Latias, who drew back a little but didn't take off.

Lucario crossed his arms again and Ash raised an eyebrow at the Legendary Dragon. This was the first time he had ever seen a Legendary Pokémon and he tried to take in every detail of the Eon Pokémon. Latias blushed at the scrutiny. She wasn't used to being looked at so intently.

 _And now then?_ Lucario suddenly spook up, still scrutinizing Latias closely.

"Could you...could you please not tell anyone about this?" Latias requested hesitantly. She looked at them nervously. "If people hear about another sighting even more people will come streaming in, trying to find my brother and I. The last time I got spotted I was scolded so bad..."

"Your brother?" Ash wondered. Latias winced at her slip up.

"Yeah, my brother, Latios," Latias confirmed, seeing no reason to hide something that they would probably be able to figure out on their own anyway. "It would probably be better if I left now. If my brother saw me talking to you..."

"Too. Late," Latios' voice was heard in the square, his tone cold. Latias squawked as her brother appeared behind her, erupting up from one of the waterways in a spray of water. Latios glared at them and floated closer, his deep red eyes boring holes into Ash and Lucario.

"B-brother!" Latias stuttered. Any further words from her got cut of as her brother shot her a stone cold look. The blue Eon Dragon turned his attention back to Ash and Lucario and growled audibly.

"What?" Ash frowned at the apparent hostility of Latios. While he was awed at seeing another Legendary Dragon he was very disconcerted by Latios' behavior. They had done nothing to warrant it, after all.

Lucario frowned at Latios and tensed, ready to move at a moment's notice. If things turned sour he would strike Latios down.

Latios simply growled at them in reply. "You will speak of this to no one," Latios snapped out. He huffed audibly. "If you do... Well, it will be far from pleasant."

Lucario's eyes narrowed at the threat. _If you threaten me or my student again, Latios, I will teach you a lesson. I do not take kindly to being threatened, especially when we have done nothing to warrant it._

The Eon Dragon smirked back in turn. "And what will you do. I am a Legendary Pokémon. What hope do you have to defeat me yo-" He got cut off by a deep audible chuckle, which came not from Lucario, but from Ash. "What so funny!" Latios snapped.

Ash's eyes glittered with amusement. "Your empty threats, that's what so funny. You aren't able to fool us, Latios. You may have a lot of power, but it's wild and untamed. We can sense it. You aren't trained in its use. Any well-trained Pokémon can take you out, Latios." Another chuckle. "Lucario would crush you, type disadvantage or not."

Latios' claws tightened into fists and he gave another growl, far louder than before. Unfortunately, he knew that the child was right. He could feel Lucario's restrained power. It was vast and honed to a razor's edge, just waiting to be unleashed. He knew that the strange Pokémon, Lucario, would crush him and his sister easily.

"What do you want?" Latios bit out.

"Who said we wanted anything?" Ash countered.

"Of course you want something!" Latios snapped back. His brow twitched in annoyance. "What do you want in order to ensure your silence? Ask and I will deliver, within reason, of course."

Ash frowned deeply and glanced at Lucario, who had a similar expression on his face. Latias' eyes constantly switched between Ash, Lucario, and Latios, unsure of what to do or what to think.

 _Ash, I think I have an idea to prove that we're trustworthy to them,_ Lucario said, causing Latios' eyes to narrow. Latias looked at him, curious about his remark. _Remember what I taught you last month?_

"Yeah, but how is that going to- Oh, I see," Ash smiled as he realized what Lucario was planning.

"What are you ta-" Latios began to demand, but got cut of as Ash's and Lucario's palms suddenly snapped up without warning and pointed at him and his sister. He blinked and suddenly two Aura Sphere's had formed in front of his face. Jerking back, Latios was about to scream a warning to his sister until the Aura Sphere's suddenly grew immensely in size. The Aura Sphere's continued growing and fused together, growing until they completely enveloped Latios and his sister.

Inside the immense Aura Sphere Latios and Latias looked around warily. The inside of the Aura Sphere was a maelstrom of energy. White and blue energy surged around them, cutting off their view of the outside world. Strangely, they weren't being hurt by being inside the attack.

Suddenly, images began assaulting their mind. It was similar to their Sight Share where they would show the other what they were seeing by making a mental connection over their bond, only except of sharing sight, Ash and Lucario were sharing their memories with them.

They saw a small boy growing up, traveling alongside his mother as they visited places all around the world. They felt his determination; his iron will to be the very best. They understood his compassionate nature, Ash's natural inclination to help other people in need.

Then, they saw a Pokémon unlike any other be picked up by a hero, who trained him up to be a powerful warrior. They felt his hate and despair at his master's apparent betrayal, and his self-loathing when he realized the truth. They understood Lucario's dedication to Ash and his vow to make Sir Aaron proud.

They saw and they understood.

The last image was of Ash and Lucario shaking each other's hand and their declaration of friendship, which was now set in stone.

Without warning the energy around the Eon Dragons disappeared, as Ash and Lucario dismissed the technique.

There was a moment of silence. Latios and Latias were looking wide-eyed at Ash and Lucario, almost not believing what had just happened. Latios swallowed hard and Latias shook her head in astonishment.

"That was..." Latios was unable to find the words to describe his feelings.

"Yeah..." Latias said in agreement with Latios. She felt exactly the same way.

"Do you trust us now?" Ash questioned, his gaze switching between Latios and Latias.

"Yes," Latios answered curtly. How could they not? They had just witnessed what made Ash and Lucario who they were. The two had shared secrets so profound that they made up the building blocks of their personalities and their motivations. It was one of the greatest acts of trust the two Eon Dragons had ever seen. That thought just brought more questions. Why did they do it?

Latias hadn't even realized that she had voiced the question when Lucario answered.

 _It was a simple logical decision, really,_ he said nonchalantly. _It was the only way I could think of that had any real chance of earning your trust. Besides, all Legendary Pokémon such as yourselves are noted for being honorable and wise beings. My student and I felt secure in sharing a few of our secrets with you in order to break the ice, so to speak._

"I see," Latios murmured.

There was another moment of silence were both sides were unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Latias perked up as an idea came to her. She smiled as she made the suggestion.

"Hey, brother?" Latios turned towards his sister with and inquisitive stare. "Maybe we should invite them over. It'll be fun!"

Latios paused at his sister's suggestion. He knew that he could trust Ash and Lucario with their secret just as much as he could trust Bianca and Lorenzo, but it was hard to make that jump so swiftly. After a moment of deliberation he smiled and nodded. "Of course, sis. As long as they promise keep the existence of the Secret Garden to themselves, I will allow it."

Latias squealed in joy and nuzzled Latios' slender neck in thanks.

"Uhh, sorry to interrupt, but what is the Secret Garden?" Ash questioned, breaking up the moment.

Latios' eyes focused on Ash as he answered. "The Secret Garden is our home. As the name suggests, it's a secret place hidden deep in Alto Mare. The only way to reach it is through a set of secret waterways that only Pokémon can traverse and secret passages obscured by powerful illusions. You can only find your way there if someone shows you the way."

He frowned as he realized something. "Hey, wait a moment. You have been understanding me, perfectly, this entire time. How are you doing that?"

Ash blinked. "It's a skill that Lucario taught me. I'm his student in the ways of the Aura. With the right training, Aura can automatically translate the natural PokéSpeech of any Pokémon."

Latios and Latias looked curious at that. They had a bit of knowledge on Aura and what it was but weren't entirely aware of what the mysterious energy was capable of.

 _I would love to see your home,_ Lucario suddenly said. His scarlet eyes glimmered in curiosity. He wondered what the home of Legendary Pokémon looked like.

Latios nodded and smiled. "Just follow me. I assume you can still sense me even if I'm invisible since you managed to detect my sister." At their nods the Eon Pokémon turned his eyes towards his sister. "Sis, would you go on ahead and warn Bianca and Lorenzo that we are bringing guests. They might get spooked if we suddenly bring strangers to the garden."

Latias nodded and with one final nuzzle to Latios' neck she turned and blasted away. She dove into the waterway from which Latios had emerged earlier and quickly followed it back to the Secret Garden, leaving her brother alone with Ash and Lucario.

Latios gave them one last smile before using his feathers to reflect the light around him, effectively making himself invisible.

Ash and Lucario stood up and followed Latios as he led them away, leaving the tiny square behind and once again setting foot in the streets of Alto Mare. It was getting late and less and less people were out on the streets. Nevertheless, Latios levitated up high, making sure that no one could accidentally bump into him.

"How surprising," Ash mused as they dutifully followed the Eon Legendary. "How big were the chances of actually meet them?"

Lucario chuckled. _Not very big, but then again, it is you we are talking about. The most unlikely things always seem to happen around you, Ash._

Ash shook his head as Latios led them into a small side alley. "I've stopped trying to find out why that always happens. I just take it as it comes. At least it's never boring around me."

Lucario nodded in agreement. He blinked in surprise as they came to a dead-end, a plain brick wall blocking the path forwards. Latios dropped his invisibility, appearing in a shower of sparkles. The Eon Dragon chuckled at their expressions, winked at them, and rocketed through the illusionary wall, making it ripple like water.

"...Did he just..." Ash was too shocked for words.

 _So this is what he meant by powerful illusions,_ Lucario mused. He tugged at Ash's sleeve to get him moving. _Let's go. I want to see this._

Nodding, Ash stepped forwards and passed the illusionary barrier together with Lucario.

The sight on the other side made their breaths get stuck in their throats.

"Do you like it?" Latios asked them as they stepped through. He looked faintly amused as he took in the awed expressions on their faces. "Welcome to my and my sister's home: The Secret Garden of Alto Mare."

"It's incredible!" Ash breathed, looking at the beautiful scenery. Lucario nodded in mute agreement.

"I'm glad you like it," Latios said with a chuckle. "Come, I want to introduce you to a couple of friends of mine."

Once again, Ash and Lucario followed Latios, all the while taking in everything the Secret Garden had to offer. Both Human and Pokémon wondered how this incredible place could have been hidden for so long. Sooner or later people should have noticed that a gigantic chunk of the city was missing, hidden behind powerful illusions or not.

"It's you!" An elderly voice boomed out over the Secret Garden, disturbing the Butterfree up in the trees and making them scatter in panic. It also broke Ash and Lucario from their reverie. Their eyes were drawn towards the voice. They blinked in surprise as they took in the portly figure of Lorenzo and the petite form of Bianca.

Latios cocked his head, surprised that Lorenzo already knew their guests and levitated towards them. He nodded at them in greeting as he beckoned Ash and Lucario over. They acquiesced and walked over. Lorenzo and Bianca studied them, suspicion rife in their eyes.

"Well, this is surprising," Ash mused. He took one look at Lorenzo and Bianca and immediately felt on edge. "You don't trust us, do you?" He deadpanned.

"In a word: No," Lorenzo said as he studied him and Lucario like a hawk. "But since Latios brought you here, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. We've already met but I'll introduce myself and my granddaughter again anyway. I'm Lorenzo and this is my granddaughter, Bianca."

Bianca hesitantly greeted them. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

Ash smiled. "Well met, Bianca."

Lucario looked around before his scarlet eyes focused on something behind Bianca and Lorenzo. _What's Latias doing?_

Bianca, Lorenzo, and Latios blinked in confusion at the question. Latias appeared in a shower of sparkles behind Lorenzo and Bianca, smiling mischievously. Latios' eyes widened as he tried to warn his friends, but he was too late.

"BOO!" Latias screamed into Bianca's and Lorenzo's ears.

"AHHH!" Both jumped up, startled. They bolted around, looking in wide-eyed panic at the now cackling Latias as they grasped at their rapidly beating hearts.

"SO NOT FUNNY!" Bianca screeched, pointing accusingly at the still cackling Latias.

Ash started snickering before breaking down in a deep, rumbling belly laugh. He nearly fell over in hysteria. Lucario chuckled loudly at the scene even as he tried to hide his amused smile behind his palm. The fact that he was shaking with laughter didn't help him covering it up. Latios tried to look sternly at his sister, but eventually succumbed to his own amusement and started laughing as well.

Bianca and Lorenzo looked annoyed when they finally calmed down from their scare, but after a few moments they joined in on the laughter.

While it might not have been Latias' intention to do so, her action had broken the tension, leaving a friendly atmosphere behind.

"That's my sister, all right," Latios commented, amused. "Always playing and never serious."

"You don't say," Ash said, snickering.

Lorenzo took a deep breath before facing Ash and Lucario. "Well, now that that's behind us, will you be joining us? We were about to have picnic until Latias disappeared on us, again!" Lorenzo paused as he turned to glare at the sheepish Latias. "We have more than enough food for the six of us."

 _I appreciate the offer,_ Lucario began. _But I'm afraid my student and I have to decline. We've just eaten, you see. Would it be all right if we explore the garden for a bit while you have your picnic?_

Lorenzo turned to look at Latios for his opinion. Said Eon Dragon nodded his agreement. Lorenzo shrugged. "It's fine by me and Latios agrees. Knock yourself out," he said as he gestured to the beautiful surroundings.

"Thank you," Ash said and immediately took off running. Lucario shook his head in bemusement and quickly followed his over eager student.

"...Can we trust them?" Lorenzo asked as soon as their guests had disappeared from sight. Bianca turned her serious eyes over to Latios. Latias smiled at Lorenzo's protectiveness.

Latios stared deeply into Lorenzo's eyes and nodded resolutely, trying to convey just how much he trusted their new friends.

"All right, Latios. I trust your judgment," Lorenzo said gravely before lightening up. "Well, let's stop this useless talk and enjoy ourselves," he announced as he made a beeline for their already set up picnic. Latios, Latias, and Bianca chuckled in unison and followed the elderly curator.

* * *

Ash and Lucario wandered all over the Secret Garden, taking in all the sights. From the beautiful architecture, to the waterways, to the splendor of nature and of course the scores of Pokémon that called the Secret Garden home. The duo had found themselves entranced by the garden's beauty.

"This place is incredible," Ash breathed in awe. Lucario nodded in agreement.

 _It is. The only place that I can compare to it is the inner sanctum of the Tree of Beginning,_ the Aura Pokémon said.

Both student and master froze in their steps as their Aura senses picked something up. Something strong, something vast and something undeniably ancient. A vast reservoir of energy was at the very center of the Secret Garden, beckoning them, calling for them.

"Are you feeling that?" Ash asked, his voice a mere whisper as he tried to take in the presence.

 _Yes,_ Lucario answered curtly as he started walking into the direction he could feel the presence in. Ash immediately followed him. It didn't take them long to reach the center of the Secret Garden, where, to their surprise, an ornately decorated fountain rested.

The air surrounding them was saturated with ambient Aura, its source rooted in the fountain. The duo walked up to it, holding their breaths as they took in more and more of the power. Vast didn't even begin to describe what they were feeling right now.

As they walked up the steps leading to the fountain the two noticed that water streamed down from the fountain into four interconnected waterways that branched out through the garden. From there it went beyond into the city, as if the fountain was feeding the city its water. Both found this curious but didn't dwell on it further.

They walked up to edge of the fountain and looked down into its waters, spotting something surprising.

In the very center of the fountain was a jewel, but it was unlike any jewel the two had ever seen. The jewel was a deep aqua blue in hue and had white light dancing within. It was huge in comparison with most jewels and an otherworldly light danced inside of it, sending small beams of light everywhere.

Ash and Lucario peered down curiously at it. The strange jewel was the source of the immense amount of energy that they were feeling, which they just realized was an extremely concentrated form of Aura. It defused all out over the Secret Garden, particularly into the waterways and presumably out into the canals of the city.

 _Very, very curious,_ the mentor mused. _I wonder what kind of jewel this is. It's radiating Aura by the bucket load, far more than any living being can produce naturally. It's flowing freely, yet it is guided into the waterways and into the city. How strange. Aura is not supposed to act this way._

"What's so strange about it?" Ash questioned curiously. "It's an inanimate object, which means that the flow of the Aura can't be obstructed by flesh and blood like what happens in all living beings. Without those blockages the Aura flows freely and into the nearest source of matter, which in this case is water."

Lucario frowned. _You're right, Ash. But you're forgetting that inanimate objects_ can't _normally radiate Aura. It's the energy of life. Something that isn't alive, in a sense, can't have Aura unless a large amount of it is imbued into it by an Aura Guardian. And even then it would be impossible to have an object of inanimate material give off this much Aura and to such a continuous degree._

He shot his student a contemplating look. _And what does that tell you?_

Ash pondered the question for a moment. His eyes widened as he figured it out. "That means that whatever this jewel is, it isn't an inanimate object. An inanimate object would never be able to do this. It has to contain life for it function!" He said in realization.

Lucario nodded, pleased. Before he could congratulate his student at his swift reasoning, he was interrupted.

"You are correct," a voice said from behind them. Latios approached them from behind, his demure and slightly sad gaze centered on the duo. "That jewel, known as the Soul Dew, contains the soul of a Latios. My and my sister's father, to be exact."

"How's that possible?" Ash questioned as he turned to regard Latios curiously. His eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait a minute, you said that the Soul Dew contains the soul of a Latios. It's the one that saved Alto Mare all those years ago, isn't it?" It was more a statement then a question, but Latios nodded in confirmation anyway. Ash noticed from the corner of his eyes that Latias had joined them, but she was oddly subdued. She shot sad glances at the Soul Dew now and then.

"Correct again. My father sacrificed himself to save Alto Mare and brought the sea to its shores, seeding the island with life and giving the city its livelihood," Latios said, smiling sadly. "He also made the Secret Garden and the illusions that guard it in order to provide my sister and me with a safe place for us to grow up in. In honor of our father we protect Alto Mare and his legacy."

 _That's quite the tale,_ Lucario said. He glanced over his shoulder at the Soul Dew, a question burning in his eyes. _So your father is in the Soul Dew and is effectively shackled to the mortal realm because of it, unable to move on to the afterlife. Why have you never tried to free him?_

Latios grimaced. "It's more complicated than that. Father's life-energy, which you call Aura, is the only thing that keeps the sea surrounding Alto Mare in place. If we were to destroy the Soul Dew or even remove it from its resting place for too long the water will retreat from Alto Mare. That isn't the worst part, though. After that the water will come back as a tsunami, destroying the city. That's something we cannot allow. That's why my sister and I guard this place, to protect the Soul Dew."

 _I see,_ Lucario remained silent for a short while, pondered something. _And you have never tried to communicate with him? I mean, his soul's right there._ Latios shot the Aura Pokémon an annoyed look.

"Of course we've tried!" He snapped. "We've tried to contact his soul with our psychic abilities more times than I care to count, but we've always failed to make a connection. Making a mental connection with our father's soul using psychic abilities has proven to be impossible."

And that gave Ash an idea.

Without warning the nine-year old turned around in a swift flowing motion and stepped up to the edge of the fountain. Before anyone could react his right hand swept into the water and firmly grasped the Soul Dew. With nary a pause he channeled his Aura into it and, to his delight, could feel it take hold as he made a connection to the soul within.

 _Hello._

The soul inside the Soul Dew started at the sudden intrusion. Ash was uncertain just what kind of emotion he could feel from the spirit. Was it shock, awe, incredulousness or a combination of all three he wondered?

 _Hello?_ came the hesitant reply back, as if the Father Latios was uncertain if the voice that he had just heard was real or not.

 _My name is Ash. And you are?_ Ash asked, as if he was talking to someone whom he had just met on the street and not like he was speaking to someone who was technically dead.

 _I'm Latios._ There was a brief pause. _How are you speaking to me?_ He asked. Ash could easily hear the barely restrained excitement and glee in the ancient Eon Dragon's voice.

 _I made a connection with your soul using my Aura,_ Ash answered curtly. He was aware of Latios and Latias when they darted towards him, probably to try and stop him from doing whatever he was doing. They grasped his shoulders and where about to yank him away until...

 _You're an Aura Guardian?_ The Father Latios asked curiously.

Both Latias and Latios froze. The moment they had grasped Ash they had been included in the connection that he had made. They didn't recognize the voice, but something about it made them relax and feel safe.

Lucario chose to let things proceed as they were for the moment. There was no malice in either Latias' or Latios' actions. So he felt secure in letting them close to his student. Besides, he was curious as to what would happen.

Ash was acutely aware of the two Pokémon grasping his shoulders. He also knew that they were now listening in on the conversation. He had nothing against it, after all, it was their father he was talking with. They had the right to hear him speak.

 _I'm an Aura Guardian in training,_ Ash corrected. He smiled as he continued on. _I'm only nine years old after all. Way too young to be a real Aura Guardian._

 _Is that so?_ the Father Latios mused, ignorant of the fact that his son and daughter were now listening in on the conversation. The sound of his voice made their eyes widen and their breaths quickened. Both where very much aware of who Ash was speaking with.

 _You must be quite talented to be able to make a connection with me at nine years old,_ the elder Latios said. He fell silent for a moment, a question that had been burning in the back of his mind finally demanded to be asked and his patience had worn thin. _Where are my children? Latias and Latios. Are they safe? Are they healthy? Are they happy? You must tell me!_ He demanded.

 _You can ask them yourself,_ Ash said, a happy twinkle to his eyes. He could feel a surge of emotions from the Father Latios. _They have been listening in on our conversation since almost the beginning._

 _You mean-_

"F-father," Latios stuttered, interrupting his father, who fell silent at hearing his son's voice for the first time.

"Daddy," Latias whispered as tears of joy gathered in her eyes. They heard a deep intake of breath over the connection when Latias made her presence known.

... _My darling precious children. You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voices,_ Father Latios whispered. They could practically hear the tears of joy in his eyes. _How...how are you two? Are you happy? Are you healthy?_

"Yes, father. We're happy and healthy as can be," Latios whispered back in response.

"Daddy," Latias said, her voice full of hope. "How is this possible? How are we talking to you?"

The Father Latios took a deep breath before answering. _It's thanks to Ash that we are talking right now. The Soul Dew is the compressed form of my soul, which is made from my life force, better known as Aura. Ash here is a practitioner in the ways of Aura, which allowed him to directly connect his own consciousness to my own. And when you touched him you two where included in the connection._

"Does that mean we can only talk with each other when Ash is here to make a connection?" Latias asked hesitantly. Only being able to talk with her father for a brief period of time and then being cut off from him again. That would be too cruel for words to her.

 _I'm afraid so, my dear. Unless another person capable of using Aura resides in the city, which is highly unlikely, we will only be able to talk so long as Ash holds the connection for us,_ Father Latios said sadly.

"That might not be entirely true," Ash cut in. All the attention snapped towards him. He grinned tightly. "Latios, your physical form is pure concentrated Aura. I am an Aura user, which means that I can manipulate Aura in its most basic form. With the right skills I can...modify your Soul Dew. I'm thinking of either allowing your soul to leave the Soul Dew as you please or make it possible for your children to connect with you by simply touching the Soul Dew, or maybe even both. What do you say?"

There was a brief stunned silence at his suggestion. Latias and Latios looked sharply at Ash. Tampering with the Soul Dew might prove dangerous. It provided Alto Mare with its lifeblood after all. On the other hand, if he could do it, if Ash could allow their father to be a part of their lives, then they felt that they had to at least try; consequences be damned.

Lucario raised an eyebrow at Ash's suggestion. He hadn't heard the entirety of the conversation but he could guess the gist of it. What Ash was proposing was entirely possible, he knew. And he knew that it was well within Ash's skill range to do it. It would be a true test over his mastery of Aura. Lucario smiled. He loved testing his student. Besides, he reckoned that if something went wrong he could step in and correct the damage himself.

 _If you want to try, Ash, go right ahead,_ Lucario called out to his student. Ash nodded in acknowledgment, pleased that his mentor had enough faith in him to allow him to try this.

Ash felt the Father Latios steel himself over the connection. _Do it,_ he hissed. _Let me be with my children again. Do it!_

He nodded, closed his eyes and concentrated. An almost invisible pulse of energy erupted from Ash. It traveled down the length of his arm and joined with Soul Dew, causing it to light up, sending beams of blue light everywhere. Ash's brow furrowed as he concentrated, a blue light emanating from behind his closed eyelids. As more and more of his Aura sunk into the Soul Dew the more and more light it began to project. Eventually, the jewel disappeared behind a bright halo of energy that formed a sphere of blue light around the Soul Dew.

Ash gritted his teeth and focused his mind to the max as he started to modify the Soul Dew. The blue halo of energy started to sink into the Soul Dew as Ash began to realign the inner structure of the jewel, changing its properties and make up.

After ten minutes of painstaking work and mental exertion, Ash finished the modification, allowing the last bits of the needed Aura to sink into the Soul Dew and become one with it.

Ash released the Soul Dew and stumbled back in exhaustion. He took a deep breath and centered himself. After cracking his neck he peered down into the fountain to admire his handiwork. The Soul Dew appeared mostly unchanged except that it appeared a bit thicker than before and that the light emanating from it was quite a bit brighter.

"Did it work?" Latios questioned anxiously. Ash dimly realized that Latias and Latios where still tightly grasping his shoulders. Their claws dug into his skin as they anxiously held on to him.

"Of cours-" he began saying, but got cut off when the Soul Dew flashed white, nearly blinding them with its intensity. The water of the fountain suddenly burned bright white, obscuring the Soul Dew from sight again. Deep burning red eyes became visible in the sea of white and a ghostly draconian figure slowly emerged from the water, floating up out of the bright white mass.

For the first time in over a century, the soul of Father Latios was free.

Father, son, and daughter locked gazes with each other for the first time and in spite of the fact that Father Latios was merely a soul his eyes still projected the sheer happiness that he felt at seeing his children.

Latias and Latios let go of Ash's shoulders and slowly floated over to their father. Tears gathered in their eyes as they nuzzled their parent. Father Latios nuzzled back, basking in the presence of his children.

"My dear, dear children," Father Latios whispered. Ghost-like tears streamed down his see through face. "I'm here now, and I'm never letting you go again." Latias and Latios were crying themselves and this solemn vow only increased their tears of happiness.

Lucario grabbed the shoulder of the positively beaming Ash and started tugging him away. _Come on, Ash. I think these three need some time alone._ Ash nodded and followed his mentor, leaving the newly reunited family alone.

Ash had never been more proud of himself, or happier for someone else.

* * *

It was half an hour later when Latias, Latios, and their father once again approached them, having finished 'catching up' for the moment. They now found themselves relaxing on the side of a large pond. Lucario was deep in meditation while he sat in a cross-legged position and Ash was laying back against a solitary tree. His arms were crossed behind his head with his eyes closed.

"So, finally run out of tears, huh?" Ash said with an impish grin, still not opening his eyes. All three Eon's smiled brightly at him. Lucario cracked open an eye and watched them curiously. Ash got up from his position and approached the Eons.

"I don't know how to thank you enough Ash," Latios said. "What you have given us... it can never be repaid."

"You have my eternal thanks Ash," Father Latios said, bowing his head to the nine-year old.

Latias' reaction was a bit more enthusiastic; she promptly glomped Ash, knocking him over and causing him to give a cry of surprise. Ash's eyes widened and he wheezed as Latias pulled him into a rib-shattering hug. He managed to awkwardly return the hug, despite the fact that his arms were essentially crushed. Latias didn't let go of him for another few seconds.

Father Latios shook his head, amused by his daughter's antics and his son was rumbling with laughter. Lucario chuckled at the sight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she murmured as she nuzzled Ash fiercely. Latias let him go after a moment and backed off, allowing Ash to stand up. He stretched and smiled.

"You don't need to thank me," Ash said, his smile widening. "It was my pleasure."

Father Latios chuckled. "Be that as it may, I still feel that you deserve a small gift in return." Suddenly, Father Latios made eye contact with Ash and his deep red eyes blazed a deep blue. Ash froze as his eyes blazed blue as well. Lucario shot up from his seated position, alarmed, but calmed down as soon as he recognized what Father Latios was doing. A power exchange.

A power exchange was exactly what it sounded like; it transferred power from one being to another, simply by making a connection with the recipient and transferring a small amount of the users essence, soul if you will, over to the one receiving the power. Lucario knew that Father Latios could not increase Ash's Aura powers, but he could give him a new one: psychic powers. He smiled, it seemed that his student would have even more options available to him in future conflicts.

Ash knew this as well, Lucario having taught him of this, and knew to steady himself as the new power coursed through his veins and settled inside of him in the deepest reaches of his mind suddenly stopped moving, becoming a part of him.

The last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Abruptly, Father Latios' eyes stopped blazing blue. The spirit smiled as he finished the power exchange and looked at Ash, impressed that he hadn't fallen over from the strain. His children, who were already aware of what he had planned to give to Ash, also looked impressed.

"You didn't have to do that," Ash coughed as he recuperated from the experience.

"No, I didn't have to, but I wanted to," Father Latios said, still smiling. "Besides, I have no use for that power anymore and I still have plenty of power remaining anyway."

"I don't know what to say," Ash said, looking a bit lost. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," the elder Latios, intentionally repeated Ash's earlier words.

"Yeah, you deserve it," Latios said. His sister nodded in agreement.

Ash, Lucario walked up to his student. _It's getting late. If we want to be back at the hotel in time we have to leave._ Ash frowned and gazed at the sky, reading the time from the sun's position. He nodded, it was time to leave.

"How long will you be staying in Alto Mare?" Latias asked curiousl. "Maybe you can come visit again tomorrow?"

"We will be staying for about a week, and of course we will come visit tomorrow," Ash answered, smiling.

"Good," Father Latios nodded in approval. "I will help you along tomorrow with learning how to use your new Psychic powers."

Ash pouted. "Shucks! There goes my vacation." Everybody chuckled at him. "Thanks for the help, though," he added gratefully. Ash suddenly looked pensive. "Hey, Latios?" Both Latios in the clearing perked up. "Um, the older one. I know I'm supposed to keep quiet about this, but can I at least tell my mom? I can't really keep secrets from her and I need to explain to her how I suddenly got Psychic powers." Father Latios considered this for a moment before smiling and nodding his agreement. Ash sighed in relieve. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now, off you go. The kids and I need to think on how we're going to explain this to Bianca and Lorenzo. I have a feeling its going to be quite complicated," Father Latios said his goodbye's and worries in one breath. His children said their goodbyes as well. Lucario and Ash quickly found themselves back on the streets of Alto Mare, heading towards the nearest gondola that could take them to their hotel.

"That was fun," Ash said as they walked. "I can't wait to go back there tomorrow."

 _It was indeed quite fun,_ Lucario admitted. _And productive too, who would have guessed that you would receive such a gift today._

"Certainly not me," Ash said. "But I'm not complaining." He paused as he considered something. "How are we going to explain this to mom?"

Lucario let out strange mix between and yawn and chuckle. _You mean, how are you going to explain this to your mom. I'm going straight to bed._

"Traitor," Ash hissed, although it lacked any real feelings behind it. The smile on his face also counteracted his words.

The rest of the way back to the hotel was shared in companionable silence.

* * *

The week went by too fast for Ash. They visited the Secret Garden daily and Delia even accompanied them a couple of times. While Ash trained to use his new powers alongside the Eon dragons and under the watchful eye of Lucario, Delia would explore the Secret Garden. She had been absolutely delighted by the scenery and quite liked the Legendaries that called the place home.

Bianca and Lorenzo had been overjoyed for Latias and Latios when they had found out what Ash had done for them. They had thanked him profusely for it and because of it they hadn't even raised a fuss when Ash brought his mother along the next day.

He had made a bit of progress in harnessing his new abilities, although it was hard-earned progress. Harnessing Psychic powers was harder than he had first envisioned. Contrary to popular believe, the strength of a psychic does not depend on intelligence or knowledge. But is measured by creativity, flexibility, will, and being able to think outside the box, though knowledge does help.

Ash was creative, he was flexible, had great will, was more than capable of thinking outside the box and he was plenty knowledgeable thanks to Lucario's teachings, but he had difficulty turning those traits into psychic force. Father Latios had explained to him that the skill would come to him in time. In the meantime he had given Ash certain exercises that would help focus his mind and increase his Psychic abilities.

It was quite similar to Aura in that way. Aura comes from the soul. When a Pokémon, or in this case a Human, uses their Aura they draw upon their own strength as a person or being. Aura is quite literally yourself at the deepest level, which is why emotions are tied so strongly to it. And what makes it unique is that every being has one; some similar, some really different.

At the moment, Ash, Lucario, and Delia found themselves on the docks of Alto Mare. The ship that would take them back to Kanto was docked behind them. Facing them were Lorenzo, Bianca, Latias in her Bianca disguise, and the invisible forms of Father Latios and Latios, though everyone knew they were there.

"I can't believe you're leaving already," Bianca laminated sadly.

"There's nothing to be done about it," Ash shrugged. He was used to this, leaving his friends behind. "That's just the way it is."

"That's true," Lorenzo nodded, smiling sadly at them. "That's how things go, I'm afraid."

"You will come to visit again, won't you?" Bianca almost pleaded with them. It hurt to see people she had become such close friends with in such a short amount of time leave so quickly.

"Of course," Delia assured. "I promise that we'll come and visit you again someday."

 _I'm already looking forward to it,_ Father Latios spoke to them telepathically. _Oh, and Ash. Keep on practicing. I'm going to test you when you come back._

Ash nodded, determined to prove himself to the ancient Eon. "I will, I promise," Ash said, looking into the seemingly empty space where he knew the soul of Father Latios resided. Any further words he wanted to say got cut of when their ship gave a loud whistle from its funnel, signaling that it was about to leave.

"That's our que," he muttered and hefted his backpack. "It's been great getting to know you guys. Goodby-" Again, he got cut of when Latias, still in her Bianca disguise glomped him and gathered him in a tight hug. Not giving the boy a chance to react she kissed him on the cheek. Ash froze, a stupefied look on his face.

Latias stepped back and giggled at the look on his face, or at least made the motion of giggling. In her human disguise she was unable to speak ordinary PokéSpeech and she could not speak Human tongue. And since she wasn't able to use telepathy yet she couldn't tell Ash just how much she was going to miss him. At least not by words, but she thought that her actions conveyed her feelings just fine.

An atomic blush exploded on Ash's face after a moment of stupefied bewilderment. He averted his eyes from the grinning Latias in disguise, inadvertently catching the eyes of everyone else present. The looks on their faces... His blush deepened a shade or three and spread to cover nearly his entire body.

Delia was giggling madly. Lucario was smirking at him. Lorenzo looked amused. Bianca was trying, and failing, to hold back from laughing. And while Ash wasn't able to see Latios' and Father Latios' reactions he could practically envision the shocked looks on their faces.

U _mm, guys. I think we need to hurry if we want to make it to the ship in time,_ Lucario suddenly said, looking a little nervous at possibly missing their ship.

Ash didn't need any more prompting then that. He quickly said his goodbyes and bolted towards the ship. Delia and Lucario did the same and quickly followed him, their friends screaming their own farewells at them from behind all the while.

It was time to go home.

* * *

A/N: Well, what do you think? Do you love it, or hate this premise?


	2. Chapter 1: Start of Your Journey

**Ash Ketchum: Being More.**

 **Start of Your Journey.**

Today was a very special day, Ash mused as he woke up from a long night of fitful sleep.

Today he would set out on his Pokémon journey. His quest to become the best that he could be; to become a Pokémon Master. He had been eagerly awaiting this day for years now.

Ash had been a trainer for close to two years, but he didn't actually feel like a real trainer. Lucario was simply so strong that he couldn't help train him in any meaningful manner. But today he would get his own starter Pokémon. A Pokémon that he could nurture, raise up to be a powerful battler, and forge an ironclad friendship with.

The Aura user jumped up from his bed at the crack of dawn. He was simply too excited to try and go back to sleep. Quickly shutting off the alarm clock before it could go off, he stepped towards his closet. The excited-to-the-point-of-bouncing-up-and-down-on-the-balls-of-his-feet young man quickly took out his clothes and began putting them on. He finished his ensemble with his brand new official Pokémon League Expo hat. He looked at it fondly before he put it on. It fit just right.

Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted Sir Aaron's gloves laying neatly on his desk. Lucario had given them to him as a gift when he had turned ten years old. He smiled and walked towards the desk. He picked up the gloves and put them on. Just like his hat, they fit perfectly.

Ash took one last look at his room. It would probably be some time before he would see it again. He smiled and quickly walked out the door.

He found Lucario out in the hall waiting for him. He was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. His mentor smirked at him. No words needed to be exchanged between the two; they knew each other too well for that. They quickly made for the kitchen where, to their surprise, Delia was already making breakfast.

"Good morning you two," Delia said. She smiled at Ash and Lucario. "You're right on time, I've just finished making breakfast."

Ash and Lucario wished her a good morning back and took a seat at the kitchen table. They helped themselves to a hardy breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, and tomato juice. Delia joined them and ate her share. The breakfast was held in companionable silence.

"So dear," Delia spoke up as she finished her breakfast, breaking the silence. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I've already packed my backpack. It's up in my room. I intend to get my Pokémon from Professor Oak first and then come back for it."

"Good," Delia said, pleased. She would be able to say goodbye to her son in due time. It was a very sad thing for her that her son was leaving, but that was just the way it was. Her son was growing up, and he was going to pursue his dreams. She couldn't have been more proud of him.

Ash and Lucario finished their own breakfast shortly after Delia. Seeing that it was still a good two hours before he could go and get his starter Pokémon, Ash and Lucario decided to go and do some training.

"We'll be back soon mom!" Ash assured happily. His mother nodded at him. He nodded back and Lucario stepped close to him. Ash grabbed ahold of Lucario's arm and closed his eyes, concentrating. A blue glow emanated from behind his closed eyelids as he called upon his psychic powers. In a flash of white light and a crack of sound the two disappeared. Delia recognized a Teleport when she saw one.

Ash and Lucario reappeared in a meadow deep inside the forest surrounding Pallet Town. He let go of Lucario's arm and opened his eyes. Ash looked around their training ground fondly.

"Well," Ash spoke up with a big grin. "What'll we be do-" He quickly jumped back, narrowly evading a lightning quick swipe from Lucario.

Lucario's scarlet eyes glinted in amusement. "Combat," he answered simply. Pumping Aura into his muscles Lucario rushed at Ash, becoming nothing more than a blur thanks to the awe-inspiring speed he was moving at.

Ash was ready for him. He sidestepped the first jab, cocked his head to the side to avoid a devastating haymaker and jumped over a Low Kick. He back-flipped away from Lucario to give himself some more room and swiftly put his hands together, forming and Aura Sphere in less than a second. He hurled it at Lucario.

Lucario batted the azure glowing sphere away contemptuously, causing it to hit a tree instead. "You call that an Aura Sphere?" Lucario taunted. Ash ignored it. He had learned quickly that giving into anger during combat was a one way street to defeat. "This is how you really do it!" The Aura Pokémon shot two small Aura Sphere's from each palm, before holding both paws together and creating one double the size of the others and launching it a second behind the first two.

Ash didn't bother trying to dodge. He knew perfectly well that Aura Sphere was an attack that couldn't be dodged no matter what. It could only be blocked. That's why he didn't hesitate to call on his psychic powers. His eyes burned blue as he took control of the two smaller Aura Spheres and slammed them into the larger one, causing them to detonate long before the attack could reach him.

He jerked back when Lucario suddenly appeared in front of him, having used the smoke caused by the destruction of the Aura Sphere's to hide the fact that he had used Extreme Speed, and kneed his student in the stomach. Thanks to the speed Lucario had been moving at Ash doubled over like a lawn chair and was launched away from Lucario.

Ash recovered quickly in spite of the pain. He flipped in midair and planted his feet firmly into the ground, skidding over the forest floor for nearly ten feet before coming to a stop. He didn't have long to recover though as Lucario had already used Extreme Speed again and had disappeared from his eyesight for a second time.

He wasn't going to let Lucario get away with doing the same trick a second time, though. Closing his eyes, he focused his Aura. His perception of time seemed to slow down as the world was replaced by a clear blue representation of it in his mind's eye. Lucario reappeared behind him and threw a punch at him. Ash ducked underneath the fist aimed for the back of his neck with time to spare.

He swiftly spun around and tried to take Lucario's feet out from under him, only to have him jump up to evade. Ash quickly placed his open palm up against Lucario's stomach and charged an Aura Sphere at point-blank range. Lucario's eyes widened as he tried to jump away to give himself enough room to block the attack, but Ash's Aura Sphere simply followed him mere inches from his fur. Ash smirked. _'Got you,'_ he thought in satisfaction as he detonated the Aura Sphere, catching Lucario in the explosion.

Ash looked expectantly into the smoke. It was rare for him to land a hit on Lucario and he savored it every time that he succeeded in doing so. When the smoke cleared his face fell; a green force field that he recognized as a Protect surrounded Lucario. It dropped a moment later, having done its job of protecting him against Ash's Aura Sphere.

 _A good attempt. You nearly had me there,_ Lucario admitted. A wild grin appeared on his face. _But you're still not fast enough._

Ash hid his frustration behind a calm mask and charged up another Aura Sphere. He hurled it at his foe. Lucario's grin widened and caught the Aura Sphere in between his paws. Ash's eyes widened when Lucario added his own Aura to the Aura Sphere and tripled it in size before throwing it back at Ash.

Ash gulped as absolutely huge Aura Sphere soared towards him. Knowing that this particular Aura Sphere had too much force behind it to stop psychically he decided to err on the side of caution. He clapped his hands together and focused his Aura, allowing it to course up his arms and into the palms of his hands. Pulling his palms appeared and throwing his arms wide he send out an ever-expanding shockwave of Aura outwards towards the immense Aura Sphere. The sphere and wave of Aura clashed with spectacular results. They detonated into a magnificent fireball that lit up the clearing and threw small embers everywhere.

Suddenly, Ash went on the offensive. Pumping a large amount of Aura into his legs he quickly closed the distance between himself and Lucario, who grinned and shifted into a slightly different combat stance.

Ash grinned back and shifted the Aura in his legs in a very peculiar manner, causing his speed to suddenly triple, to the point of leaving after images of himself behind as he moved at blinding speed. Ash began circling around his enemy at his highest speed, creating several images of himself as he blurred in and out of sight between them, attacking from every angle, every opening he could find. Lucario recognized the danger immediately.

Said Pokémon blocked the attacks with some effort. His eyes were closed as he followed Ash's every single move with his Aura, allowing him to evade Ash's ferocious attack uninjured. Suddenly, his left fist shot out and caught Ash in the shoulder, causing him to recoil and breaking his offensive. Smirking, Lucario attacked. The spikes on the back of his paws glowed silver as they erupted and took the form of triple bladed claws, using Metal Claw.

Ash's eyes widened mere moments before he began a dance of death with Lucario. He was forced to dodge every single lightning fast claw swipe that sang for his body as they passed mere inches from his skin. He weaved in between every single strike as he was steadily pushed back by the assault.

A bit of his hair was cut off as he dodged a little too late.

The Aura trainee snarled. With speed that Lucario hadn't expected, Ash's arms batted away his next two swipes. Thrown off balance, Ash stepped into his guard, reared back, and punched him straight in the jaw in one fluid movement.

Ash smirked, happy to have finally struck Lucario.

So exultant was he that he missed the hardening of Lucario's eyes. Before Ash knew what had happened Lucario had kicked him in the chest. Ash stumbled back, coughing as the blow had robbed him of all his oxygen. Not giving Ash a chance to recover, Lucario took Ash's feet out from under him with a Low Kick. Ash moved to stand up but the touch of steel at his throat halted his motions.

Ash looked up and wasn't surprised to see Lucario standing over him, holding his Metal Claws to his throat. He sighed. "I concede," he said dispassionately.

Nodding, Lucario dismissed his Metal Claws and offered his hand to Ash. He took it gratefully and was pulled upright by his mentor. Dusting himself of Ash looked up to regard Lucario.

"That was the first time you went all out on me, isn't it? Right there at the end," Ash deadpanned.

 _Got it in one,_ Lucario nodded. _I was surprised you were able to strike me when I was actually taking you semi-seriously, so I decided to up the ante._

"How did I do?" Ash questioned, eager to hear his mentor's response.

 _All things considered, very well. You blocked and evaded nearly all of my attacks, showed great tactics in the heat of battle, and actually managed to hit me. Many Pokémon wouldn't be able to do the same to me, even when I'm battling only semi-seriously,_ Lucario said, pride shining through his speech.

Ash grinned, proud of himself and basking in Lucario's praise. Pausing, he looked upwards toward the sun. "Hmm, it's still too early to go and get my starter Pokémon. What do you want to do until it's time?"

Lucario shrugged. _I'm going to meditate. You can do whatever you like._ Having said that Lucario dropped down to sit in the grass and assumed a cross-legged position. Closing his eyes, Lucario quickly lost himself in his meditation.

Ash sighed. Deciding that Lucario had the right idea he too sat down on the grass. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes and started to meditate. His heart slowed down as he centered himself and became one with nature.

Mere moments before his mind entered a Zen state he had only one thought.

 _'Life is wonderful.'_

* * *

Two hours later, Ash was walking down Pallet Town's main road towards Oak's lab. Lucario was back inside his Pokéball that hung around his neck on a silver chain. As he walked he smiled and waved to some of the people who wished him good luck on his journey. Pallet was such a small town that everybody knew that he and a few other kids would be starting today.

It barely took him ten minutes to reach the lab. Ash's eyes idly ran over the white building, having seen it many times in the past. He saw three other kids standing in front of the doors leading in. Before he could greet them he was interrupted by a familiar yet irritating voice.

"So, you showed up after all," Gary said arrogantly. "I'm already looking forwards to proving how much better I am than you, Ash."

"We'll just have to see about that," Ash responded, rolling his eyes at Gary's attitude. "Having a famous grandfather doesn't automatically make you a great trainer."

The other two kids looked uncomfortable at the mounting scene. Ash recognized them, they lived in Pallet Town after all. One of them was a rather tall - for his age at least - and handsome boy named Dennis and a pretty young girl named Ani.

"No, it doesn't," Gary surprisingly agreed. "But being talented does, and I am very talented."

"Yeah right. If you're so talented with Pokémon then how come you didn't know not to go trespassing into Beedrill territory?" Ash asked, referring to an incident two months ago when Gary had accidentally wandered too close to a Beedrill hive and got stung all over for his troubles. He was lucky that the Beedrill only wanted to drive him of; they hadn't used poison. To Ash's amusement, Gary had been covered in nasty purple welts for a month after that. Just thinking about it almost made him laugh.

"Shut up!" Gary snapped, his face colored in embarrassment or anger, Ash didn't know which. "At least I don't go strutting around with toys around my neck!" He shouted, pointing at the Pokéball hanging around Ash's neck.

Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Pokéball wasn't a toy. It was, after all, a genuine article and held a very powerful Pokémon, but Gary didn't know that. He could see why Gary would think it was fake or a toy.

As a matter of fact, no one knew of Lucario's existence besides himself, his mother, and professor Oak. Simply because Lucario wanted to avoid attention. The only reason that professor Oak knew of him was because one of his own Pokémon, a dreadfully powerful Alakazam, had picked up on Lucario's presence and had immediately informed the good professor.

On top of that, no one knew that Ash was an Aura user and a psychic. Again, only his mother, himself, Lucario, and Professor Oak knew. He was proud of his abilities, yes, but thanks to Gary's constant boasts during his childhood and Lucario's training, both physical and mental, he had developed a serious aversion for boasting. So he kept his abilities to himself. He wouldn't have any problem showing them to people, he just didn't like parading his abilities around for everyone to see. It was just too much hassle.

Before Ash could snap back at Gary the glass doors of the lab neatly slid open. Ash rushed in first, followed quickly by Gary, Dennis and Ani following close behind. At the end of the cold, sterile room they had entered stood a petite woman in a neat and blemish-free white lab coat.

"Hello," she greeted them warmly. "You must be the new trainers I was told about. Follow me and I'll take you to Professor Oak."

The petite woman quickly led them to the professor's private room. The group didn't talk with each other as they walked, they were too anxious and excited to get their starters for that. After a moment of walking they entered a small room to the right of the main lab.

Ash immediately ignored the rest of the room as his eyes were drawn to the very center of the place. There, on a round white pedestal, laid three Pokéballs holding the starter Pokémon, ready to be picked. He swallowed.

Professor Oak, the foremost expert on Pokémon, stood beside the pedestal. He smiled at them and greeted them by name, easing the tension a bit. He waved them over and the group quickly stepped closer in response.

Ash quickly noticed a small problem.

"Uh, professor?" Oak looked over to him curiously. "There're only three Pokéballs and four trainers, so..."

"Oops," The professor muttered quietly, realizing the problem. He brightened up as he thought of something. "It's no problem. I have a fourth Pokémon here. It's a bit feisty and hasn't been properly tamed yet for the use of a rookie Trainer, but I am sure that each of you would be able to handle it. Now, who's willing to wait for their Pokémon? I don't want the others to have to wait."

There was a pregnant pause amongst the hopeful trainers. No one wanted to wait for their Pokémon. After half a minute of awkward silence Ash sighed. He supposed it was time to take one for the team, so to speak. Besides, he had Lucario to help him. He was the best equipped to deal with a Pokémon that was going to be rebellious.

Ash shook his head and raised his hand. "I'll wait," he said sadly. Professor Oak nodded and looked impressed with him.

Oak turned away from him and addressed the others. "The Pokéball to the left holds Bulbasaur, a Grass-Type. The Pokéball in the middle holds Charmander, a Fire-Type. The Pokéball to the right holds Squirtle, a Water-Type. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, but a skilled trainer can use any of them very well."

Gary, ever the confident one, was the first one to step forwards and boldly grabbed Squirtle's Pokéball. He released it and smiled down at it, pleased with what he saw.

Dennis stepped up next and chose Charmander. He released it and looked down at his new partner curiously. Charmander looked back up at him, black eyes hopeful and happy. Bending down, Dennis petted it and whispered soft words into Charmander's ear. Apparently it liked what it heard because it practically leaped into the waiting arms of Dennis.

Ani was last and picked Bulbasaur. She released the Grass-Type starter as well. Bulbasaur yawned as it was released and laid down on the ground to sleep. Ani giggled, apparently finding the Grass-Type very cute. She pet and cooed at it as it slept.

"Now that's done please return your Pokémon," Oak said seriously. "I have an important favor to ask of you all."

There was some disappointed grumbling from the new trainers, but they heeded the request and returned their Pokémon. They looked curiously at Professor Oak as he took out four strange red devices from the pockets in his lab coat, two from each one, and handed each youth one of the strange red devices.

"These machines are my newest invention, the Pokédex," Oak announced proudly. "You can scan any Pokémon you run into with this machine and it will provide you with detailed information regarding that Pokémon. For example, the Pokédex will tell you what type it is, what it likes to eat, what species it is, which gender it is, and it will tell you what moves that Pokémon knows."

Four pair of eyes widened as the trainers looked down at their Pokédexs in awe. Professor Oak's voice quickly broke through their reverie.

"These Pokédexs will collect a detailed amount of information on any Pokémon you use it on, adding extra information to my memory banks on that particular Pokémon, but I need someone else to search the world for me. I'm too old to gather them myself you see. So I'm entrusting each of you with a Pokédex to collect the information for me," Oak explained calmly. The four trainers nodded, accepting the responsibility.

Oak looked pleased. "Good. Now that that's done I suggest you leave and get ready for your journey. Ash, stay behind."

The other three trainers nodded and turned to leave. Ash waved goodbye to Dennis and Ani as they left, while Gary briefly spoke with Professor Oak before leaving as well. Ash expectantly turned to the professor.

Oak smiled at him. "Well, Ash. I was hoping that you would be the one to have this Pokémon. I was rather understating it when I said it was feisty, but I reckon that with Lucario aiding you it will be no problem for someone like you," he said as he pushed a button on the side of the pedestal. A slot opened in the middle of it and a Pokéball with a lightning bolt sign carved into it popped up. Oak grabbed it and handed it to Ash.

Ash took it eagerly and stared it for a moment. He smiled and released the Pokémon inside of it. The Pokémon materialized in a flash of white light on the edge of the pedestal.

He recognized it immediately; there was really no mistaking it. The Pokémon had a slightly plump yellow body with long spiky ears with black tips. A lightning bolt-shaped tail twitched behind it and brown stripes lined its back. It had coal-black eyes and red circles on its cheeks, which sparked with electricity. Two stubby arms were crossed in a haughty manner as the Pokémon observed him in turn.

It was a Pikachu, and its first ever words to Ash were: "Oh great, so you're the idiot I'm stuck with."

Ash twitched at the insult. "What did it say?" Oak asked curiously.

"Why are you asking him you old fart? It's not like he can unde-"

"He called me an idiot," Ash grouched, shocking Pikachu. "And you an old fart," he added.

Oak's nostrils flared and he glared down at the Electric-Type. Pikachu shrank back a little at the glare, but refused to cower in front of the suddenly very imposing professor.

Pikachu's eyes were drawn back to Ash. His curiosity was piqued by this strange Human that could understand him. "How can you understand me? You aren't Pokéraised, are you?"

Ash shook his head. "No. Have you ever heard of Aura?" Pikachu's large ears twitched as he nodded. "Well, I can use it and there's a skill that you can learn if you have access to Aura that will automatically translate PokéSpeech if you master it."

Pikachu looked interested at that. "I see..." There was a pause. "So, now what?"

Ash looked quizzically at the Electric-Type. "Umm, I'm going to train you to become super strong. That's what trainers do."

Pikachu doubled over laughing his ass of. "Nice joke!" He spoke in between his guffaws. Now Ash looked offended. Seeing this, the Electric-Type started laughing even harder. "Oh, you were being serious? That's even funnier!"

Ash's face colored slightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and counted back to ten. Pikachu stopped laughing after a minute and looked back up at Ash.

"Look, kid. I appreciate the offer, but I've been doing just fine on my own. I don't need your help," the Electric-Type said seriously.

"I can train you," Ash said. He ignored Pikachu's eye roll. "Come on, what do you have to lose by giving me a chance?"

"Time," Pikachu deadpanned. "And lost time cannot be regained like some other things. I have already wasted too much of it here because of this old fart," the Pokémon said, gesturing to Professor Oak. "And now that we're talking about the old fart..." His cheeks sparked as he launched a tiny stream of electricity at the professor. Oak yelped as he got a nasty shock and his hair, what was left of it at least, got frizzled into a mess.

"That was for the wire thing you old fart! They were delicious and you had to go and ruin it!" Pikachu raged. Oak glared at him and tried to get his hair back in order.

Ash made a show of looking Pikachu over. "What I've seen of you so far I doubt you'd be able to beat me, let alone another Pokémon," he taunted, knowing that it was unfair to make that allegation. He was an Aura user and a psychic after all. One that was strong enough to keep up with Lucario, a Pokémon that was approaching Elite Four levels of strength. He knew that he could kick Pikachu's ass, but if taunting him like this got him what he wanted, then he was all for it.

Pikachu twitched. "What did you say, Human?" The Pokémon hissed.

"I think you heard me just fine," Ash returned. He stared down at the fuming Pikachu.

"Why you little..." Pikachu started shouting. Ash interrupted him by raising his hand and finger flicking him. Having used his Aura to magnify his strength, the seemingly light bump launched Pikachu away like a rag doll.

Ash smirked and lowered his hand. "You were saying?"

Pikachu got up from his position on the floor and rubbed his head where Ash had finger flicked him. It felt like he had been hit by a Drill Peck to the forehead. He was pissed! Gathering his power quickly, Pikachu launched a medium-sized Thunderbolt at Ash.

Professor Oak screamed at Ash to dodge, but he was ready for it. His eyes burned blue as he exerted his will upon the world and mentally grabbed the Thunderbolt. The attack wavered and boomeranged back at Pikachu, who gasped in surprise and was struck by his own attack.

The attack didn't do much, it merely singed his fur a little, but it pissed him off even more.

"I thought you were an Aura user, not a psychic!" Pikachu shouted angrily, shaking his slightly singed fur.

"I don't remember saying that I wasn't a psychic either," Ash returned calmly.

Seething, Pikachu took off in a blur of motion as he used Quick Attack, moving so fast that all you could see of him was a yellow blur. The Electric-Type lunged at Ash from the side, his head angled to hit Ash in between the eyes.

Ash snorted and casually snagged Pikachu up in midair mere inches from his face. "You know, a smart Pokémon wouldn't attack head on when they know that their opponent is stronger than they are."

"You aren't stronger than me!" Pikachu shouted. He trashed around helplessly in Ash's iron like grip. Getting an idea the Mouse Pokémon closed his eyes and used Thunderbolt at point-blank range, allowing it to surge all over his body and into Ash.

Not hearing the expected cry of pain Pikachu opened his eyes and looked at Ash in shock. Said person was smiling as Pikachu's Thunderbolt danced across his body without any visible effect. Even his clothes weren't affected.

"Come on! How are you immune electricity!? You're human!" Pikachu raged indignantly.

Ash smiled. "Oh, it's simple really. I'm using my Aura to channel it harmlessly into the ground. Neat isn't it?"

Giving an unadulterated scream of rage Pikachu increased the voltage. It only succeeded in tiring him out faster. Ash held his amused smile as the electricity dancing across his body grew thicker and brighter in color, but still did nothing to him.

Pikachu was panting deeply when he finally let up on the electricity. His fur was soaked in sweat and his body was trembling from overexertion. He sagged in Ash's grip.

The electric mouse was close to despair. He had tried so hard and yet he had not even been able to scratch the Human. A Human! How absurd could you get?

"I give up," Pikachu said morosely. "You win. I'll follow your commands."

"Pikachu, one thing that I don't want is blind obedience," Ash said, surprising the Mouse Pokémon. He sat down on a chair in the room and moved to cradle Pikachu in his arms. Calling on his Aura he placed his right hand over the Pokémon's chest. His hand flared blue, directing his Aura to restore the Electric-Type's energy reserves. The blue glow spread to cover Pikachu's entire body, who gasped as he felt his strength return to him. He stopped trembling and his electrical energy returned in full.

"Why... Why did you help me?" Pikachu questioned in disbelieve after a moment of dumbfounded silence. He got up but didn't move to get away from Ash; something that made the trainer grin.

"Because I didn't like seeing you so weak. Because I don't want to be your enemy," Ash looked Pikachu in the eyes, black meeting brown as he earnestly tried to appeal to Pikachu. "Because I want to be your friend and trainer."

Pikachu remained silent for a while after Ash's declaration. He just started Ash in the eyes, not looking away for even a second, trying to find any hint of a lie. After a moment of silently starring the Pokémon spoke. "You'll make me strong? Be my friend through thick and thin? Do anything to help me?"

Ash nodded resolutely; there was no doubt.

A brilliant smile lit up on Pikachu's face. "Alright then. I'll be your Pokémon, partner."

Smiling brightly at the declaration of partnership Ash drew Pikachu in a one-armed hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Professor Oak cleared his throat to get their attention. Ash and Pikachu looked over at him, "Now that you've made friends and nearly destroyed my lab while doing so," he gave them a hard look. Ash and Pikachu looked sheepish. "I think it's time for you to set out, Ash. It's a big world out there and you will need all the time you have to explore it. Now, off you go!"

Ash laughed and stood up. Pikachu scampered up his arm and took a seat on Ash's shoulder, settling down on it like he had been doing it for ages. Somehow, it just felt... right; like it was meant to be this way. He gave the good professor a two-fingered salute and a mocking bow before storming out of the lab, laughing all the while.

"Good luck my dear boy," Professor Oak said fondly. He smiled into the distance. "Knowing your luck, you're gonna need it."

* * *

Ash's mother was watching TV when Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, walked in the front door. She jumped up and squealed in excitement when she saw the small Pokémon on his shoulder.

"Oh, Ash! It's so cute!" She cried before grabbing Pikachu from his shoulder and crushing him in a hug. Ash was momentarily concerned that Pikachu might try and shock her after being grabbed so suddenly, but a second look told him all he needed to know; Pikachu seemed to enjoy the attention.

After a moment of fawning over Pikachu his mom set him down before going to get his backpack from his room. Pikachu walked back to him and jumped back on his shoulder. "Your mother is rather...energetic," he mused. Ash snorted at the gross understatement.

Delia came back a few moments later carrying his backpack, and he took it gratefully. Zipping it open, he looked inside to make sure that he had everything that he would need on his journey.

Food for himself and his Pokémon? Check.

A map? Check.

Rope and potions? Check.

A few more things were in the bottom and side pockets, but he didn't look at those yet. He had all the necessities and anything else he could buy at Viridian City. Now all that was left was to say goodbye to his mom.

Ash turned to her, but before he could say anything she had wrapped him in a crushing hug. He sputtered and wheezed as his ribs were being squeezed painfully tight, and when his mom finally let go he gasped for air.

"Stay safe," she said. Ash thought that he could see tears in her eyes, but she pushed him out of the door before he could check.

* * *

After having said a quick goodbye to his mother and getting his backpack full of supplies from his room, Ash had quickly left his hometown behind. He quickly found himself on Route 1 heading toward Viridian City. He smiled as he took in the beauty of nature around him.

"This is nice," Ash commented as he surveyed the scenery of Route 1. Pikachu nodded in agreement from Ash's shoulder. He had been in that dusty old lab for far too long for his liking. It was nice to be out in nature again.

Ash took a deep breath and started trudging down the beaten path. Pikachu cocked his head curiously at Ash. "When will we start training?"

That question brought Ash up short. He pondered it shortly and nodded decisively as he came to decision. The rookie trainer walked off the path and into the tall grass. "We'll start training right now. It would be better if I had a better grasp of your abilities anyway."

Pikachu nodded and observed his trainers as he searched for a good place to train, which he found a few moments later. They now found themselves in a small meadow a fair ways away from the path. Lush green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see and a pond of clear blue water added to the scenery.

Ash came to a stop and smiled at the scene. Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and turned to face him, standing at attention. Ash took out his Pokédex. Pikachu cocked his head curiously at it as he hit the scan button.

 _Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu._ The Pokédex droned in monotonously. _Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning as it raises it to check its surroundings. This Pikachu is Male and knows the moves Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, and Volt Tackle. Note: The move Volt Tackle is hereditary and is very rare for one of the Pikachu evolutionary line to possess. This Pikachu has the ability Lightningrod, which forces all electrical attacks to target this Pokémon no matter what the circumstances. In addition, all electrical attacks will do no damage and will increase this Pokémon's attack power._

To be frank, Ash was stunned that Pikachu already knew so many powerful moves. He had some incredibly powerful Electric-Type moves behind him, and many of his attacks would bring down other Pokémon easily through a mix of sheer power, and the paralysis effect that would follow them. The extremely handy Lightningrod ability was the icing on the cake.

After all, Electric-Type attacks tended to be exceptionally powerful against most organic Pokémon. Even if they didn't do much real damage they tended to be incredibly painful and could easily stop a Pokémon in its tracks. Most living creatures weren't meant to take thousands of volts of electricity, even if Pokémon were tough enough to handle it.

All he could say was. "Wow."

Pikachu looked pleased at the reaction and gave him a mocking bow. "I aim to please."

Ash shook his head and refocused. "You certainly weren't lying when you said you were doing fine on your own," he commented. Pikachu smiled. "There's one problem, though. Most of your attacks are all electrical based, which makes Ground-Types your bane," he continued. Pikachu's smile turned into an ugly grimace, showing that he knew that as well. "And seeing as the first Gym Leader uses Rock and Ground-Types that could be a real problem."

Pikachu nodded, his grimace slowly setting itself into a determined expression. "So, what do we do about it?"

"We train and teach you some new moves, to round you out and give you a weapon against Ground and Rock-Types," Ash said as he pondered which moves to teach Pikachu. "Iron Tail and Dig are good choices. Since Rock-Types and Ground-Types are generally rather slow I also think we need to work on your speed to give you an edge. Throw in Double Team and I think we can be reasonably sure that they will have a lot of trouble hitting you at all, let alone taking you out. What do you think?"

Pikachu was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected to be included in on the decision-making process. He was the Pokémon and Ash was the trainer after all. It did make him feel oddly pleased, though. "Hmm, what you said sounds good to me. Let's do it!"

Ash nodded and smiled. "We will, but first I want to introduce you to someone." Pikachu blinked, wondering as to who Ash wanted to introduce him to. Ash pulled the Pokéball off the silver chain around his neck and released Lucario, who materialized right next to Ash in a flash of white.

 _Hello Ash,_ Lucario said after he was released. He stretched and placed his arms carelessly behind his head. The Aura Pokémon lazily glanced at Pikachu and smiled. _And who is our new friend?_

"Pikachu, this is Lucario, my mentor and friend. Lucario, this is Pikachu, the starter Pokémon Professor Oak gave me," Ash smiled as he introduced his Pokémon to each other.

"What does he mean by 'my mentor'?" Pikachu muttered to himself, a little put out that he wasn't Ash's first Pokémon.

"Exactly what it sounds like, actually. Lucario was the one that taught me about Aura and trained me in the ways of Pokémon," Ash answered, having easily overheard Pikachu's muttered question.

"Makes sense," Pikachu said with a nod. "There would be no better teacher for learning how to use Aura then an Aura Pokémon."

"Quite," Ash agreed. He smiled as he continued. "Now that the introductions are out of the way let's start training. I think it would be best if we teach you the new moves first and then work on your speed as we travel to Pewter City for our first Gym match."

Pikachu nodded in agreement. Lucario observed the two silently. He was happy that everything seemed to be running smoothly.

"How are you going to teach me these new moves?" Pikachu asked curiously. "If they were easy to learn, then I would know them already."

"Oh, that's easy," Ash replied happily. "For Pokémon, learning new attacks comes instinctively for the most part. Attacks that they learn naturally are easily taught if you know the right training exercises. And as for attacks that they don't learn naturally, it just takes a bit more prodding for them to learn. We'll start off with Double Team since you can learn that naturally. After that we'll work on Iron Tail and Dig while we travel. We can work on your speed at the same time."

A big grin spread across Ash's face.

"Are you ready?"

Pikachu nodded resolutely, grinning right back at Ash. "I was born ready!"

Laughing, Ash promised, "You're gonna regret it."

* * *

Oh, and how he regretted it!

Pikachu moaned as fell down next to the campfire. He was spent from an entire day of traveling and training. Ash was right, he regretted it already. The training was brutal and the traveling in between was annoying. And it was only day one!

It was not without its rewards, though. He had already managed to learn Double Team and had made some progress on Iron Tail. Never before had he believed that one could make so much progress in one day.

Rolling over, the Mouse Pokémon took deep breaths as he gazed at the night sky. He wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Lucario sat down beside him. He grinned at the exhausted Pokémon. _It was tougher then you thought it would be, wasn't it?_

"Shut up," Pikachu grouched through his exhaustion. "I'm hurting enough already without you harping on me."

Chuckling in amusement, the Aura Pokémon turned his attention to Ash, who had taken a seat on the other side of the campfire. _It went well today._

Ash nodded in a pleased manner. He was happy with the progress they had made. "That it did. Pikachu, you're amazing." Despite his tiredness, Pikachu smiled at the compliment. "At this rate you'll have mastered the new attacks in no time, leaving us plenty of time to work on your speed. I was also thinking that it would be a good idea to work on your control over electricity, but that will come later."

He fell silent after that. Lucario was the one that broke that silence. _What's your plan for the Gym?_ The Aura Pokémon asked curiously. _Do you have a strategy in mind?_

Ash nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "Yes, hit and run tactics. Dance around every attack thrown at us with incredible speed and then hit hard when the opportunity presents itself. I also want to catch one other Pokémon before we hit the Pewter Gym. Rumor has it that the Gym leader fights two on two battles, so I need a second Pokémon to use."

 _You could use me,_ Lucario suggested, smiling.

Ash snorted. "Lucario, using you would make it too easy. I bet that with you alone I could beat every single Gym leader in Kanto without any problem," he gave a short laugh, imagining the faces on the Gym leaders as he ripped their teams to shreds with only Lucario. "As a trainer, I need to prove that I'm capable enough to enter the Indigo League. If I use you I will never be able to prove that. No, I will only use you at the Indigo League or when the situation demands it."

Lucario nodded in agreement. Beside him Pikachu painfully turned his head towards his trainer. His eyes were wide. "How powerful is Lucario?" He asked with curiosity and trepidation.

"You know of the Elite Four and how strong their Pokémon are?" Ash questioned. Pikachu nodded. "Lucario is around their level of power. Maybe a bit beneath it."

Pikachu gaped at him. Turning towards Lucario Pikachu stuttered. "Y-you're really that strong?"

Lucario nodded. _The last time the good old professor tested me he rated me around that level of strength._ He looked down at Pikachu. His scarlet eyes where kind and yet serious. _I have a lot of experience under my belt and a lot of moves to call on if necessary. And you want to know why? It's because I trained my body to the bone every day. Keep training like you have today and one day you'll be as strong as me, if not stronger._

Pikachu nodded and silently promised himself that he would one day reach that level of strength. One day he would be the strongest Electric-Type in the world; he swore it to himself.

Ash took out his Pokédex. The discussion had reminded him that he hadn't used it on Lucario yet. Said Pokémon looked at him curiously and with a bit of amusement as he raised the machine and pointed it at Lucario. With a push of a button it activated.

 _Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu,_ the Pokédex stated. _By sensing the Aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements. This Lucario is Male and knows the moves Force Palm, Extreme Speed, Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, Bone Rush, Metal Claw, Low Kick, Detect, Protect, Swords Dance, Calm Mind and Feint. This Lucario has the ability Inner Focus, which means that this Pokémon will never flinch and will never hesitate to strike._

Ash's jaw was touching the ground. He knew that Lucario had a lot of moves but not that many! The sheer amount of strategies, attack patterns, and combos you could set up with such a diverse move pool were so immense that his head nearly exploded just thinking about all the possibilities. He almost started to drool as he thought about them all.

Lucario snorted at the stupefied look on his students face. From the corner of his eyes he saw that Pikachu had a similar look on his face. _I know, I know, I'm incredible. You may grovel at my feet._

While a pretty stupid joke it broke the spell over Ash and Pikachu. They snorted at his remark.

The group fell silent after that. It was silent for nearly half an hour before it was broken by Ash's yawn. "Well, I'm going to sleep. It was a tiring first day."

Lucario nodded, not looking at him as he gazed at the campfire. Ash shrugged and was about to say goodnight to Pikachu. He paused as he heard the snores of the tiny Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu was already asleep. Snorting softly, Ash took out his sleeping bag from his backpack and laid it down on the ground next to the sleeping rodent.

 _Goodnight Ash,_ Lucario said. _I'll stay up a bit longer._

"Goodnight, Lucario. Don't forget to put out the fire when you go to sleep," Ash said as he was about to crawl into his sleeping bag. Lucario smiled at him and waved him off to his sleeping bag. He yawned as he slipped into it and felt blackness begin to overtake him. The last thing Ash felt was the comforting warmth of the campfire.

* * *

Ash yawned as he woke up and stretched his stiff muscles. He looked around and noticed that Pikachu was standing next to him. Impressive, he mused. There weren't any signs of exhaustion on Pikachu anymore from yesterday's training. The small rodent could evidently recover quickly from strenuous activities. A handy trait to have as a Pokémon. The small Pokémon wished him good morning and scampered of.

He slowly crawled out of his sleeping bag and cracked his neck. Looking around he spotted Lucario already awake and meditating next to the extinguished campfire from the night before. Said Pokémon cracked an eye open and smiled at him.

Ash wished his mentor a good morning, which was returned, and quickly took out some breakfast from his backpack. He, of course, first made sure that Pikachu had some food, some simple Pokéchow that you could buy everywhere. The Mouse Pokémon ate it ravenously. He didn't give Lucario any, the Aura Pokémon could take care of himself and would likely take it as an insult if he tried to give him food.

He himself sat down on a tree stump with some simple sandwiches his mother had made for him and a bottle of water. It wasn't long before he was finished with his breakfast. Drinking the last bit of water, Ash frowned at his empty water bottle. He would need to restock at Viridian City. He still had plenty of food and water left, but it wouldn't be enough to last him to Pewter City.

The flapping of wings pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up and spotted, to his surprise, a Pidgeotto hovering over their campsite. It was unusual to see a Pidgeotto on Route 1. Generally the Pidgey that evolved around these parts moved on to Viridian Forest where there was more prey to sustain their now more ferocious appetite.

He noticed that this Pidgeotto was a pretty large one as well, and looked more powerful than you would expect from a recently evolved Pokémon. While he wondered what such a powerful specimen of its breed was doing here, the Pidgeotto's eyes spotted him. It chirped curiously down at him and surveyed their campsite.

Suddenly, the Flying-Types sharp eye sight locked on to the pile of Pokéchow Pikachu was still eating from. The Pokémon's eyes gained a hungry glint and dove for the pile, sharp talons clearly outstretched to snag up some food for itself.

"Pikachu, look up!" Ash cried in warning. Pikachu stopped eating and heard the whipping of air. Looking up he spotted Pidgeotto diving towards him. He gasped in surprise and stumbled back from his food. "Quick, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Following the command without hesitation Pikachu released a Thunderbolt straight up towards Pidgeotto.

With it diving straight towards him at a very high-speed it was impossible for Pidgeotto to dodge the attack. It shrieked as the Thunderbolt struck it, setting its nerves on fire with electricity and causing its muscles lock up. It fell straight from the sky. Thankfully, it landed in the soft grass, sparing it from further injury.

"Use Thunder Wave before it can get back up!" Ash followed up. Pidgeotto was already struggling back up on its talons. That was pretty impressive, taking a Thunderbolt and still being able to battle despite its type disadvantage. Many a Flying-Type would have flat-out fainted from such a powerful Electric-Type attack.

Pikachu clenched its tiny fists as blue electricity gathered at his cheek pouches. Allowing it to build up for a moment or two he released the attack. It split off in multiple arcs and converged on Pidgeotto. The attack struck, causing it to shriek as blue electricity danced across its feathers and paralyzed it, locking it in place.

"Wrap this up with Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted. Pikachu dropped to all fours and rapidly bounded towards the paralyzed Pidgeotto. Electricity erupted from his body, shrouding him in a veil of electricity. With great speed, Pikachu slammed into Pidgeotto, who shrieked as its nerves where once again fried by thousands of volts of electricity. It was sent flying by the hit and it crashed into a tree, denting it with a sharp crack of bark.

Ash swiftly unclipped an empty Pokéball from his belt and threw it at Pidgeotto. It struck the unconscious Pidgeotto on the head. The Pokéball popped open as the Pokémon turned into scarlet energy. Pidgeotto was sucked into the Pokéball, which fell to the ground. It immediately clicked shut and didn't even wiggle as the Flying-Type was captured.

Grinning, Ash walked up to it and picked up the Pokéball. He looked at it briefly before shrinking it down and clipping it to its belt. "You did awesome, Pikachu. Keep fighting like that and our first Gym battle will be a cakewalk."

Pikachu grinned at the praise. He basked in it for a moment before he went back to his pile of Pokéchow and started eating again.

 _You did great too, Ash._ Lucario stood up from his cross-legged position and approached his student. You _acted quick and decisively in the small amount of time you had. Your tactic of locking Pidgeotto into place and blitzing it worked perfectly,_ he said and clapped Ash on the shoulder as he praised his student.

Ash smiled and scratched the back of his head at the praise. "Thanks for the compliment," he replied. Meanwhile, Pikachu had finished his Pokéchow and had approached them.

Once again standing at attention, Pikachu looked up to Ash. "I'm ready to train," he announced and pumped one of his tiny fists. "Let's get to it!"

Grinning, Ash clapped his hands. "Good! I want you to have Iron Tail mastered before we reach Viridian City. If we stop training at around noon I think we'll be able to reach the city when the sun goes down." He looked up towards sun and read the time from its position in the sky. "That leaves us about... four hours. Plenty of time."

Bending down he picked up some small rocks from the ground. With no prompting Pikachu turned around and tensed. Ash hurled one rock at Pikachu. Said Pokémon's lightning bolt-shaped tail wacked it away from him. For a split second his tail glowed white as it hardened into steel before reverting back to normal.

Ash's grin widened. Pikachu was closer to mastering Iron Tail then he originally thought. He threw another rock, which Pikachu dutifully knocked away with his tail.

They would have this attack mastered in no time.

Lucario observed them for a moment before walking off to do his own training. He couldn't let his own skills deteriorate, even if he wasn't going to be used a lot in battles any time soon. And besides, he could still increase his own fighting skills.

Later that day they arrived at Viridian City. They made for quite the sight. A ten-year old with a Pikachu on his shoulders followed by a Lucario, which most people didn't know anything about, tended to attract attention. The group got plenty of curious stares as they made for the Viridian City Pokémon Center.

Ash's eyes trailed over the city as they walked. It was just like he remembered it. He had been here with his mother when he was six. The city hadn't changed one bit since then; it still had that old and traditional feel to it.

Lucario and Pikachu looked around with undisguised curiosity; they had never been here before. Pikachu had been in some of the larger Kanto cities, but Lucario had only seen small towns like Pallet and Rota.

It didn't take them long to reach the Pokémon Center. It was easy to find. The large red roof of the building could be seen from quite a ways away. Automatic doors slid aside as they approached.

A Nurse Joy who sat at the counter looked up when they entered and smiled at them. "Hello, how can I help you?" She asked cheerily. A Chansey stood beside her and waved at them, calling its name out happily.

"Hello Nurse Joy," Ash said as he unclipped a Pokéball from his belt. "I captured this Pidgeotto on the way to Viridian City. Would you mind looking it over?"

"No problem," Nurse Joy said as she took the offered Pokéball. Turning around she placed the Pokéball inside one of those healing machines that Ash had once seen on TV. The good-natured nurse activated the machine with the push of a button and read the data it collected from a screen attached to it. All the while, the machine was healing Pidgeotto from any injury it might have had.

"Pidgeotto is just fine," she said, taking the Pokéball back out of the machine. Nurse Joy handing it back to Ash. "It had some minor burns and scraps, but was overall in good condition."

"Thank you," he said as he clipped the Pokéball back onto his belt. "I would also like a room for tonight, please," Ash requested. He found it strange that she wasn't looking at them funny like the people out on the streets had done. Then again, she probably saw a lot of trainers walking around with their Pokémon out and about with them every day. And as a Pokémon nurse she was perfectly aware of just what Lucario was.

The nurse smiled at him. "Of course," she said and took a keycard out from underneath the counter. Handing it to him she instructed. "Your room number is twelve. Just enter the hall to your right and you'll find it. You can come and go as you please. Just hand over the keycard when you leave tomorrow, okay?"

Ash nodded and thanked her. Instead of heading towards his room he headed into the direction of the lounge. Pikachu was still on his shoulder and Lucario dutifully followed him.

They paused as they entered the lounge. A wall of noise assaulted them. Peering inside they saw that the room was packed to the brim with what appeared to be rookie trainers. All of them were either chatting up their fellow trainers or taking care of their Pokémon.

Ash and Lucario had to watch their step as they walked into the room. They didn't want to accidentally step on one of the many Rattata scampering all over the floor, now did they?

A variety of trainers turned to stare at them curiously for a moment, their gaze lingering on Lucario, before returning to whatever they were doing, except for one person. A youngster who stood alone in a corner of the room was sizing him up. Nodding to himself the youngster walked up to Ash. He smiled. "Hey, do you want to battle?"

Ash paused at the question. A grin appeared on his face as he turned his head towards Pikachu. "Well, buddy. Do you want to battle?" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically. A fire appeared in his eyes.

Turning his attention back to the youngster Ash nodded at him, grinning. "All right. Two on two then?"

The youngster grinned back. "That's alright by me. We can have our match out back." He gestured for Ash to follow him, which he did. The youngster led him to the back of the Pokémon Center. They left the building through a backdoor, which led into a small green field behind the Pokémon Center.

Ash looked around the small clearing. Judging from the holes and trenches carved into the soft dirt he speculated that this small field was used frequently for battles. While he was thinking that the youngster had taken a place at one end of the small field.

"Are you ready?" The youngster shouted from across the clearing, already holding a Pokéball in his hands. Ash grinned and nodded.

"Show him what you can do, Rattata!" The youngster shouted again and released the small purple Pokémon. The Rattata snapped its large front teeth in anticipation as it finished materializing. The rodent glared heatedly at them and hissed out a challenge.

Ash looked calmly back at it. "Pikachu, you're up." His starter nodded and jumped from his shoulders. Electricity sparked from his cheek pouches as he landed on all fours, glaring right back at the Rattata.

On some unspoken signal, the battle began.

"Quick Attack," Ash snapped. His choice of attack was simple. It was a common tactic. Strike before your opponent can react, which was easily possible with an increased priority move like Quick Attack.

Dirt was thrown back as bright white light erupted behind Pikachu and he rushed head long at the Rattata. Before it or its trainer could react the Mouse Pokémon slammed into the purple critter, knocking it back.

"Strike back with Hyper Fang!" The youngster countered. Ash's eyes widened, that was a very powerful attack, especially for an un-evolved Rattata. They would normally only learn it when they had already evolved into a Raticate. Its trainer must have taught it the move.

Rattata shook off the blow and focused. Its large front teeth glowed a sharp white. The critter lunged at its opponent, its maw wide open and sharp glowing teeth aimed to take a chunk out of Pikachu.

"Double Team," Ash ordered. Pikachu nodded and closed his eyes. His yellow form wavered for a moment before it split up into multiple illusionary copies. They formed a circle around Rattata. Said Pokémon hesitated in its attack as it was uncertain which Pikachu to attack. That split second of hesitation would cost it.

"Thunderbolt!" he shouted, already smelling victory. All the Pikachu's clenched their fists and growled as they gathered the necessary electricity for the attack.

"Dodge with Dig!" the youngster cried out in panic. Rattata quickly dug into the earth with its front paws. It disappeared into the ground just in time before it would have been struck by the Thunderbolt, sparing it from a painful electrocution.

"Get ready to move, Pikachu!" The Mouse Pokémon nodded and tensed to dodge. In spite of that, he was still surprised when Rattata exploded from the ground underneath him. It smacked into him with a dry thud. Pikachu stumbled back from the blow.

"Grab it and use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu righted himself and lunged at Rattata. His stubby arms wrapped around the tiny critters neck. Before it could react Pikachu used Thunderbolt. Rattata screeched as it was shocked silly by the point-blank attack.

Pikachu let up on the attack a moment later. Rattata's smoking form fell to the ground in a dead faint. Its trainer recalled it immediately. The youngster had a big frown on his face and reached for his second Pokéball.

A Butterfree appeared in Rattata's place. It chattered and flapped it wings as it was released.

"Quick, use Sleep Powder." The youngster spoke so softly that Ash almost didn't hear the command. Almost. Butterfree made an odd clicking noise before flapping its wings directly towards Pikachu, releasing the blue cloud of Sleep Powder and blowing it towards Pikachu as it did so.

"Thunderbolt," Ash deadpanned. Pikachu casually shot a tiny stream of electricity into the cloud of Sleep Powder. It ignited into a fireball in an instant. Butterfree clicked angrily as it was burned lightly. The fire was too far away from it to do serious damage, but it still hurt.

"Confusion!" The youngster snapped. Butterfree's compound eyed burned blue as it exerted its psychic powers. Before Pikachu or Ash could react the Mouse Pokémon was covered in a veil of psychic energy. Pikachu was yanked up in the air and brutally slammed down into the ground.

Pikachu groaned and shook off the blow. He stood up and glared at the Butterfree. Electricity sparked and crackled all over his body. Butterfree simply looked back at him with an unimpressed expression. Ash got the distinct impression that it was radiating smugness.

"Again!" The youngster repeated his order. Butterfree's compound eyes started burning blue once more.

"Double Team. Then follow with Volt Tackle. End it with Iron Tail," Ash ordered calmly. He was sure that Pikachu could follow his commands to the letter without any trouble.

Pikachu's form once again split up in multiple illusions of himself. All of them were flickering, making it impossible to find the real one. Butterfree tried to find the genuine article with its psychic powers, but it proved too slow. All the Pikachu dropped to all fours and rushed headlong at Butterfree, all covered in a veil of crackling electricity as they bounded towards their opponent.

Butterfree tried to dodge by flying up, but all the flickering Pikachu simple leaped up towards it. Several fake copies passed through Butterfree before the real one slammed into it from behind. Butterfree screeched and fell to the ground, electricity crackled painfully along its body.

Pikachu flipped down from above, the last remnants of the Volt Tackle dispersing around him, and brought a glowing white tail down on Butterfree. It struck the Bug-Type in the back with a sickening crack, right in between its wings. The Butterfree screeched one more time and arched its back at an unnatural angel before falling limp, defeated.

The youngster sighed before recalling Butterfree. He looked sullen and downtrodden for a moment before shaking his head and walking up to Ash. Meanwhile, Ash was congratulating Pikachu on his performance, who had once again taken up residence on his shoulder.

"That was a great battle. I hope to fight you again someday," the youngster said, smiling. He extended his hand for a handshake. Ash took it with a smile and nod of his own. The youngster sighed before sticking a hand into his pocket and retrieving a fat wallet. He took out a few bills and handed them to Ash, who took them with a raised eyebrow.

"What is this for?" Ash asked curiously.

"If you've got more than a thousand Pokédollars you have to give the winner of a battle a share," the youngster explained. "It's a pretty new rule, but it's made to give trainers a reason to get better. No one wants to lose money just because they're bad at battling."

"Oh," Ash said. He frowned for a moment. "What happens if you lose all your money? How would you buy food and stuff?"

"If you have a thousand Pokédollars or less you don't have to pay," he explained. The youngster stomach suddenly rumbled. He blushed and said, "See you later. Dinner's calling," and quickly went back inside the Pokémon Center, looking for a meal.

Ash shrugged and shoved the bills into his own pocket. More money for food and supplies was always a good thing in his book. He had gotten plenty of money from his mother to take care of himself on the road but a little extra was a nice addition.

 _You both did great,_ Lucario said, surprising Ash and Pikachu. They had both forgotten that the Aura Pokémon was there the moment they had initiated the battle. After all, the battle required their full attention.

"Thanks Lucario!" Ash said. He was thankful for the praise. "And you did wonderful, Pikachu! I knew you would be an awesome battler."

Pikachu grinned at Ash's own praise and gave him a thumps up.

"Do you need healing?" Ash asked. He looked Pikachu over with critical eyes, trying to find the telltale signs of injuries.

"Nah, I just have some small scrapes and bruises. They will heal naturally in a day or so." Pikachu shook his head at the suggestion of healing and leaned back on Ash's shoulder. "What do you want to do now?"

"I was thinking of getting to know our new teammate," Ash suggested eagerly. His hands twitched for the Pokéball holding Pidgeotto attached to his belt.

"Yeah, let's do that! It will be interesting if nothing else," The Mouse Pokémon agreed with a nod of his head. Lucario quickly agreed as well. Ash unclipped the Pokéball holding the Normal and Flying-Type.

The Aura Guardian-in-training regarded the red and white spherical device for a moment, contemplating what it held and how it was going to help him achieve his dream. Ash smiled and tapped the release button. In a flash of white light Pidgeotto appeared in front of him.

Its talons dug firmly in the soft soil as it finished materializing. Pidgeotto cawed and looked at him with measuring eyes. It puffed out its chest and looked less than impressed with him. "Great, I've been captured by a rookie trainer. This won't end well. I need to escape before something bad happens," Pidgeotto muttered. Its voice had a soft and feminine quality to it.

Ash twitched. Were all the Pokémon that he was going to capture on his journey going to be smartasses? First Pikachu and now Pidgeotto. "Thanks for your kind words," he said drily. Pidgeotto's sharp eyes widened and her beak dropped open in shock. "Yes, I can understand you," Ash continued, slightly amused by the Bird Pokémon's shocked expression.

Pidgeotto gathered her wits and looked at him with new eyes. "Hmm, interesting," the Pokémon mused. Her eyes narrowed and something sparked in the back of her head as she thought of something. "So, you can understand me perfectly?" Ash nodded. Pidgeotto cocked her head inquisitively at him. "Tell me, now that you have captured me, what are your goals?"

Ash blinked, surprised at the line of questioning. He was expecting Pidgeotto to ask him to release her or why he had captured her in the first place, but not this. "Umm, my dream is to become a Pokémon Master and to become the best that I can be," Ash answered earnestly. He looked at Pidgeotto with eyes full of hope. "I was actually hoping that you would help me realize my dreams. I need strong Pokémon like you on my team to make them a reality. Will you help me?"

Pidgeotto did not immediately answer. She just looked him in the eyes. Ash held them, trying to convey his sincerity. Her sharp eyes turned to regard Pikachu curiously. "How does your trainer treat you? Are you well taken care of?"

Pikachu blinked. He had been thrown off guard as well by Pidgeotto's line of questioning. He answered earnestly and without a hint of doubt. "I've been with Ash for only one day so far, but he has treated me with respect and dignity all the while. His training is brutal, but it's rewarding and yields results quickly," was the Pokémon's answer. Ash smiled at him.

Pidgeotto nodded and turned her head towards Lucario. Before she could ask her question the Aura Pokémon answered. _My student will treat any and all Pokémon he meets with respect, whether they are a part of his team or not,_ he said without a hint of doubt. Lucario trusted his student without question. _I've trained him and seen him grow up. I know he will treat you like you deserve to be treated._

She regarded him for a moment, before nodding to herself. Her eyes turned back to Ash. To his relieve and rising hope she smiled at him. "Well, trainer. Your Pokémon speak highly of you. And you even apparently trained under one of them for a time. If that isn't a sign of a good relationship between Pokémon and their trainer then I don't know what is. Yes, I think I will help you on your quest to become a Pokémon Master."

Ash's answering smile nearly blinded the Pidgeotto. Sharp eye sight could be such a bother at times, she mused to herself. Pikachu's reaction was a bit more incredulous. "Just like that!? You're gonna go with him and give up on your current life just like that?"

Pidgeotto did the avian version of a shrug. "Sure, why not? After all, there are quite a lot of advantages to being a caught Pokémon. For one, if I'm with a trainer I will no longer have to hunt for my own food. All my necessities will be taken care of for me by my trainer. Besides, I've always wondered what it would be like to travel the world together with a trainer. It'll be interesting, if nothing else."

Pikachu was gaping at Pidgeotto's line of reasoning. After a moment of stunned silence he closed his mouth. Thinking it over some more, her words did make some sense, in a logical point of view anyway.

"Great!" Ash laughed. He took out his Pokédex. Pidgeotto studied it with a curious gaze. She looked up at Ash, a question burned in her eyes. "This is Pokédex. It holds information on all the Pokémon in the world. I can use it to scan any Pokémon and learn some basic facts about them. Like what they eat, their nature, and what kind of attacks they have. I'm just going to scan you for a moment," he answered. Pidgeotto nodded and with a push of a button the Pokédex activated.

 _Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgey,_ the Pokédex droned in its customary cold voice. _It's armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be more dangerous. Approach with extreme caution. This Pidgeotto is female and knows the moves Tackle, Sand-Attack, Gust, Quick Attack and Wing Attack. This Pidgeotto has the ability Keen Eye, which means that nothing but solid matter can block this Pokémon's gaze. It will see through anything else without issue._

Ash nodded and smiled. Pidgeotto had the moves he had expected her to have. There was nothing really remarkable in her move pool. Not like Pikachu with his Volt Tackle and Lucario with his immense arsenal of moves. It was still a very sweet move pool for a Pokémon held by a rookie trainer like himself, though.

"Not bad. I can work with that," he commented and looked Pidgeotto over, thinking of ways to improve her fighting skills. Pidgeotto looked calmly back at him. She was curious as to what he was going to suggest. "Hmm, I think you would most benefit from a similar training regimen that Pikachu is following. Since the first Gym leader uses Ground and Rock-Types I've tasked him with learning Dig and Iron Tail to even the odds, and Double Team to aid in evading attacks as well as working on his speed."

Pidgeotto nodded at his line of reasoning. "Makes sense," she muttered. The Bird Pokémon looked up at him shrewdly. "Let me guess. Steel Wing for attack, Double Team for defense, and an increased priority move to aid me in attacking?"

"Uhh..." Ash was shocked. Pidgeotto had hit the nail right on the head. Pikachu was once again gaping at her and Lucario was looking at her with new eyes. Their newest teammate was smart. Very, very smart.

"Right," the Aura Guardian in training coughed and gathered his wits about him. "While Quick Attack gets the job done just fine you can learn a far better increased priority move: Aerial Ace. It's much faster than Quick Attack, so much so it's almost impossible to dodge; and it hits hard. It's the perfect move for you to learn."

Pidgeotto nodded in agreement. She cracked her neck and absently clawed at the ground with her sharp talons. "Will we start training right now or will we wait till tomorrow?"

"Depends," Ash answered. "Do you feel up to training?" he asked sharply.

Pidgeotto nodded after a moment of thought. Her new trainer smiled at her, "Good. That will give us more than enough time to for you to learn the new attacks and increase your speed a bit before we hit the Pewter City Gym. Get ready. I'm not holding back."

Pikachu gave Pidgeotto a sympathetic look. "You're so gonna regret this," he softly muttered, just loud enough for the Bird Pokémon to hear it. Seeing the strange glint in Ash's eyes and the wince on Pikachu's face, Pidgeotto was already second guessing her decision.

She had a split second to wonder what she had gotten herself into before Ash commenced her first bout of training.

* * *

Later that day Ash and his team had retired to their room in the Pokémon Center. Pikachu was laying down on the corner of the biggest bed of the room and Lucario had taken a seat next to him on the bed. As for Pidgeotto and Ash...

Pidgeotto released a sound that could easily be construed as a growl and glared at Ash with her sharp and murderous eyes.

Ash simply snorted softly and stared back with bemusement.

"When you said that you weren't holding back," Pidgeotto spoke with a low growl to her voice. "I had at least expected for you to start off slowly, but nooooooooo. You had to start off with dodging practice, using Pikachu and his Thunderbolts as incentive to try and teach me Double Team." Her talons tightened to such a degree around her perch, which happened to be the back of a desk chair, that it almost snapped off from the pressure. "Give me one good reason not to claw your face off and peck out your eyes."

"Oh, that's simple." Ash smiled, undaunted by Pidgeotto's anger. "One, you agreed to be my Pokémon and as such, I can train you as I see fit." Pidgeotto twitched. "Two, they say that necessity is the mother of invention and progress, and I say its father is duress. I simply took advantage of that fact." Pidgeotto started twitching harder. "And three, it worked didn't it. You have Double Team down pat now." He smiled at the now furiously twitching Bird Pokémon. "I'm proud of you," he offered.

Pidgeotto glared at him for a few moments longer before deflating. She sighed and pouted. "Well, I can't argue with the results," she admitted. Her voice regained her hard edge as she spoke up again. "But we're _never_ doing that again."

Ash shook his head and chuckled. He looked even more amused now. "Yes, we will. I'm not throwing away such a handy training exercise just because you've yet to get used to your new situation in life."

Pidgeotto started twitching again. "No, we will never do that again."

"Yes, we will."

"No, we will not!"

"Yes, we will."

"No, we will not!"

"Yes, we will."

"NO, WE WILL NOT!"

Pikachu and Lucario were watching the scene with barely repressed amusement. Pikachu was shaking and was holding his stomach as he valiantly tried to keep from laughing. Lucario didn't see the need to do so and was laughing heartily at the scene.

Ash raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. It's late and I want to go to bed. We can argue about this some more later." Pidgeotto huffed and nodded her agreement.

He gave Pidgeotto one last smile and was about to head towards his bed until...

"Wait, Ash," Pidgeotto called out to her trainer. Ash paused and turned back to look at her. "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you." Her trainer signaled for her to continue. Pidgeotto hesitated a moment before asking her question, "You seem to know a lot about the Pewter City Gym leader," she noted. Pikachu and Lucario were listening in on their conversation with interest. "How is that? Did you study up on the Gym Leaders before setting out on your journey or something?"

Ash blinked at the question. He looked off in the distance as a smile bloomed on his face. He became lost in memories. "No, I actually met the Pewter City Gym Leader some time ago," he said, surprising Pidgeotto. Neither Pikachu or Lucario had known that either and looked at him curiously. "Shortly after my seventh birthday my mother and I visited Pewter City and I met Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader. He had only just gotten the position and he was so nervous at the time..." he trailed off. "Anyway, my mother and I actually stayed with him and his family for a time when the hotel we were staying at unexpectedly closed down because of some structural damage that could bring the whole building down," Ash explained. "He was nice enough to offer us a place to stay at his home." His smile widened. "It was a rather rowdy night. Brock is the eldest of a family of ten children and he takes care of his nine brothers and sisters by himself because both his parents have disappeared."

Lucario blinked. _Both his parents disappeared? How did that happen?_

Ash frowned as an uncharacteristic dark look appeared on his face. "I'm not sure. His father just up and left when he was young for some reason. I don't really know why, but it had something to do with following his dreams. His mother on the other hand..." He snarled, a noise that surprised everyone in the room. "She had slowly distanced herself from her family over time and then she just suddenly disappeared. No notice, no nothing. She had up and left just like his father."

All the Pokémon in the room frowned. What Ash had just told him was inconceivable to them. To most Pokémon, children were the most important thing in the world until they were full-grown and could take care of themselves. Then, in most cases, the offspring leave their home and start building their own lives away from their parents. A parent leaving their children before they could take care of themselves...

That was disgusting to them.

Ash shook his head to clear himself from his dark thoughts. He sighed. "Despite what's happened to him and his family, Brock is a very kind guy. He's my friend, one that I've held contact with over the years." Ash smiled. "I look forward to battling him." He suddenly yawned and continued on with his track to his bed, "Good night everyone and sleep well. We're gonna need it for tomorrow."

He received three affirmative calls before slipping into his bed. Pikachu remained where he was and curled up to sleep. Pidgeotto placed her head beneath her wing and started roosting. Lucario got up and made for his own bed.

It wasn't long before darkness claimed them all.

* * *

The next day, Ash found himself on the edge of Viridian Forest. His backpack was heavy with newly bought supplies and his gaze was centered on the thick vegetation of the forest. Pikachu lazily reclined on his shoulder and Lucario stood beside him, looking into the forest with his sharp eyes and senses. Pidgeotto was in her Pokéball.

"So," Pikachu spoke up from Ash's shoulder. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to be traveling 'till about three in the evening," Ash answered as he started trekking down the path leading into the woods, Lucario following him. "Also, we will be challenging every Pokémon trainer we meet. Then, we'll train until it gets dark. We'll repeat this until we reach Pewter City."

Pikachu gulped. That sounded like a very arduous schedule to keep. Their entire day would be about traveling, battling and training. After a moment of hesitation he hardened his resolve and he relaxed on Ash's shoulder. He had sworn to himself that he would one day be the strongest Electric-Type in the world. That would take hard work; work that Ash was willing to put himself and him through in order to reach their respective goals. He will do it without complaint.

The group trekked down the path in relative silence for some time. They encountered numerous trainers along the way. Bug Catchers, who as their name suggested, only caught and used Bug-Type Pokémon. They weren't really much of a challenge to Ash. As proven when both Pikachu and Pidgeotto were able to defeat the entire teams of these Bug Catchers by themselves.

Finally, after traveling for a couple of hours, both Pikachu and Pidgeotto were starting to get tired from the constant battling. Luckily, it was nearing three o'clock. Ash decided to set up camp when they found a suitable clearing. Ash tasked Pidgeotto to gather firewood for a campfire and Pikachu to make a trench for it. Ash himself and Lucario scoured the clearing with the incredible sight their Aura granted them to make sure it was safe.

Once they finished setting up camp Lucario quickly informed Ash that he was going to find his own food in the forest. He left soon after and disappeared into the greenery of the forest.

While Lucario took off to find his own food, Ash made sure to feed Pikachu and Pidgeotto. He also gave them both a potion to treat the various injuries that they had sustained from the constant battles and to energize them a bit for the coming training exercises that he had planned the day before.

All the while, he was completely oblivious to what was happening in the forest.

* * *

Half an hour later Lucario still hadn't returned.

Ash wasn't worried. His mentor was strong; far too strong for any of the Pokémon in the area to be a threat. Still, he mused, it was better to be safe than sorry. He closed his eyes and placed his palm in front of his chest and mentally intoned, _'The Aura is with me.'_

Suddenly, the darkness of his closed eyelids disappeared. Instead, the world around him became clear to him. It was depicted in his mind's eye in the form of a blue outline. His sight extended a mile in every direction. The Aura of everything: the Pokémon, occasional Human, and even from the ground and all the vegetation was now visible to him.

It didn't take him long to find where Lucario was, and what he saw made him gasp. Pikachu and Pidgeotto looked over at him, concerned. They had been training, trying to learn the respective techniques Ash had commanded them to learn. Dig for Pikachu and Steel Wing for Pidgeotto.

Before they could ask what was wrong, Ash's eyes shot open. "We've gotta go, now! Lucario needs our help!" Pikachu immediately jumped up on Ash's shoulder, who immediately took off running in the direction that he had seen Lucario in.

"What's going on?" Pidgeotto asked. She was flying a little above Ash's head and her sharp eyes were peeled ahead, trying to see what had spooked Ash so much. "Is Lucario in trouble?"

"Lucario is fine," Ash answered. He had his eyes closed as he raced through the forest, using his Aura to find the shortest path to Lucario's location. "It's the situation that he has stumbled onto that's all kinds of wrong."

"The situation?" Pikachu asked confusedly. "What possible situation is th-"

"Shh," Ash hissed as he placed his palm in front of Pikachu's mouth. He quietly returned Pidgeotto. The flapping of her wings would give away their position. With silent and slow steps he continued to walk forwards.

He opened his eyes and glanced around a tree. Lucario was there, crouched down behind a thick bush. The Aura Pokémon had his eyes closed. He wordlessly signaled Ash to come over, who complied and crouched down next to Lucario.

 _I knew you would come,_ Lucario muttered softly. _I would have contacted you earlier but this situation demands my full attention, lest something horrible happens. I had faith that you would show up in time._

Ash nodded and closed his eyes, once again activating his Aura sight. His gaze centered on the clearing beyond the bush where he saw a truly horrible scene. He saw fourteen adult men in black uniforms with big red R's decorating their fronts. They were patrolling the clearing they were in.

The Aura user immediately knew who they were dealing with. He'd seen those uniforms in various news articles and on TV. Only one organization wore uniforms like that – the notorious Team Rocket.

All the Rockets had one or two Pokémon out. The vast majority where Zubat and the occasional Golbat, but he also saw a few Grimer and Koffing. In the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the Rockets and their Pokémon, sat two roughed up but otherwise alright trainers. They had their hands bound behind their backs and their Pokémon lay besides them, unconscious and bleeding from various injuries.

"What's going on?" Pikachu hissed lowly in Ash's ear.

"Team Rocket," Ash spat. His starter's eyes widened. Pikachu knew perfectly well who the infamous crime syndicate was. "They've taken two trainers and their Pokémon hostage. They are holding them in the clearing on the other side of this bush."

 _I've overheard what they are planning,_ Lucario said, his eyes still closed. _They are going to keep the Pokémon for themselves and try to ransom the trainers in exchange for their freedom._ His eyes opened and he growled. _They aren't planning on keeping their word. Once they have the money they are either going to kill trainers or try and convert them to follow Team Rocket's goals. There has even been talk of killing one of them already to show the police and families that they mean business. That's why I didn't contact you earlier, if they were going to make good on their threat I had to be completely focused on them to stop the Rockets in time._

Ash nodded; that made sense. He frowned as he thought of what they should do in this situation. In the end he decided to defer to Lucario's expertise. "What do we do?"

 _There isn't enough time to go and get help,_ Lucario deduced quickly. His muzzle clenched in anger before it relaxed a moment later. _Luckily, I can easily take care of the Rockets and their Pokémon, they believe in quantity over quality, but that still leaves the hostages. If I go in alone they might get in danger in the melee that will surely follow._ He turned his serious eyes over to his student. Ash returned it with a hard stare of his own. _Ash, while the rest of your Pokémon and I deal with the Rockets I need you to free the hostages and get them to safety. I have a plan and you need to follow it to the letter._

Ash nodded resolutely. There was no time to debate how this was going to go down. The Rockets could kill one of the hostages at any time. They had to move now.

Lucario quickly shared his plan with Ash and Pikachu. The two listened intently and nodded at all the relevant parts; it wasn't the best plan but they had little time to strategize. It was simple and to the point.

Ash released Pidgeotto and quickly instructed her on her task. She nodded and stayed behind with Lucario when Ash, with Pikachu still on his shoulder, crept around the clearing and took up position on the other side of the Rockets.

Through his Aura sight he saw Lucario signal to him that he was about to enact the plan. He signaled back an affirmative and tensed to move. Pikachu growled from his shoulder and was equally tense.

Lucario acted quickly. Almost too fast for Ash to see he charged up an Aura Sphere and hurled it at the presumed leader of the Rockets, a grunt with a Golbat and a Grimer. The man never saw it coming and was struck dead center in the back. Crying out in pain the grunt fell, catching the attention of everyone in the clearing.

All the Rocket grunts screamed for their leader and their Pokémon looked shocked. The lead grunts own Pokémon looked murderous. All eyes turned over to the direction where they had seen the Aura Sphere appear from.

That was Pidgeotto's que. With a few strong flaps of her wings she bolted high up in the air. She lined herself up with harsh sun overhead. The grunts and their Pokémon looked up at her and were immediately blinded by the light. Pidgeotto flapped her wings as hard as she could towards the ground, kicking up an enormous dust cloud that quickly covered the entire clearing. The Rockets and their Pokémon gagged as dirt entered their lungs and were forced to close their eyes.

Lucario bolted over the bush and rushed the nearest grunt and his Pokémon. With great speed, precision, and stealth he struck the grunt and his Pokémon with a few precisely aimed strikes to specific weak points, immediately knocking them out. Having finished the first few enemies Lucario again utilized his great speed and went for the next few enemies. He made great use of their current helpless state and their confusion to knock them out without issue.

While this was going on Ash had rushed in from the other end of the clearing towards the bound trainers, his Aura sight guiding the way. A single grunt and his Pokémon stood in his way. Thanks to the heavy veil of dirt covering the clearing his and his partner's approach were completely missed. The man and his Pokémon never saw him and Pikachu coming.

Ash's starter jumped from his shoulder, cheeks sparking with electricity. With Ash guiding his movements via his Aura, Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck true and electrocuted the grunt's Zubat and Koffing. Zubat was immediately knocked out cold, but the Koffing survived, barely. The moment Pikachu landed on the ground he shot off toward Koffing with Quick Attack. With a thud Pikachu's forehead struck it in the face. Koffing fell down, the last strike simply being too much.

Not allowing himself to be distracted by Pikachu's impressive display of combat prowess, Ash closed in on the grunt, who still wasn't aware that his Pokémon had been taken out.

Ash bent his knees lightly as he came close to the grunt and jumped. Spinning around he delivered a devastating spinning kick to the Rocket grunt's jaw. There was a satisfying crunch as the grunt's head snapped to the side, his jaw set at an awkward angle. The grunt fell down, the blow having knocked him out cold on contact.

The moment he landed Ash rushed toward the hostages, Pikachu hot on his heel. The haze of dirt had lifted enough that they could see the trainers and their Pokémon clearly with their eyes. They both winced when they got close to the hostages and saw the extent of their injuries.

The trainers were way worse off then one would expect from a single glance. One of them, a pretty fifteen year old girl with long blond hair, had a swollen eye and bruises on multiple places on her body. The other one, a stocky young boy with a baseball cap on his head, had a broken arm that was being held at an awkward angle. With his arms being bound behind his back that had to be painful. Their Pokémon where in a similar state.

Ash grabbed the girl by the arm. Her head snapped towards him. There was fear in her eyes, but it disappeared when she saw him. It was replaced by hope. Ash put a finger in front of his mouth and signaled her to remain silent. The boy had noticed them as well. They both nodded at him, silently placing all their hope for escape in his hands.

Pikachu quickly jumped towards the boy and undid the ropes holding his arms behind his back. It took some effort, considering his small size, but he got it done. Ash undid the girl's bindings.

Both rookie trainers got up as fast as their injuries allowed them to. To Ash's relief they still had their Pokéballs, which they used to recall their badly beaten Pokémon. It would have been troublesome to have to carry those Pokémon with him.

"We have to go," he hissed at them. They nodded wordlessly and followed him with difficulty; the girl stumbled with every step and the boy cradled his arm as they followed him. Ash quickly led the two injured trainers out of the clearing and tucked them behind a couple of bushes far away from the melee that was still going on between Lucario and the Rockets.

Ash was the only one that could look into the haze, thanks to his Aura sight. He alone knew what was happening. While Pikachu was aware of Lucario's strength the two injured trainers were not. They were scared.

It wasn't going to last much longer.

Ash smiled.

Finally, after another nerve-wracking minute the dust cloud had finally lifted. Both rookie trainers peered into the clearing with worried eyes, and saw what Ash knew would happen from the very beginning. Lucario stood in the middle of the clearing, totally unharmed. While the Rockets and their Pokémon all laid unconscious on the ground around him.

Ash left his cover and approached Lucario. "Well," he started. "That went better than expected."

Lucario nodded and smirked. _Quite. The plan worked better than I thought it would. We all did our parts perfectly._

Both injured rookie trainers emerged from behind the bushes and gave Lucario a flabbergasted look. Lucario twitched; that look was starting to annoy him, big time. "How can that Pokémon talk?!" The cap wearing boy wondered incredulously. The blond-haired girl looked very curious about the answer.

"I think it will be better if we get you help first before we answer any questions," Ash cut in, mercifully saving his mentor. Lucario gave him a thankful nod. Ash looked over the various injuries on the trainers. "Do either of you have a phone or something? Traveling with those injuries won't be pretty."

The boy winced at the thought, but the girl smiled and took out a small yellow machine from her pocket. "That won't be needed. I have a PokéNav. We're damned lucky that the Team Rocket members didn't know that I had one... And that my mother placed the national police number in here," she said as she dialed in the number.

Ash nodded and he turned to survey the clearing. It would be better if they rounded up the grunts and their Pokémon, he mused. To make sure that they didn't get away. Before he could start working on it Pidgeotto descended from the sky and landed on Ash's shoulder.

He smiled and ran his finger underneath Pidgeotto's beak. She chirped in contentment. "Good job," he complimented her. His eyes turned over to Pikachu and his smile widened, "You did great as well, Pikachu." His starter gave him a thumps up. Finally, his eyes landed on Lucario. He snorted. "I don't think any words I'd say would quite describe how well you did."

Lucario snorted back at him and set to work to gather up the Rockets, having the same idea as Ash. He returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and placed them in a big pile in the center of the clearing.

Ash sighed. This was not what he had expected to happen in his foray into the Viridian Forest.

He smiled. Good; his life, and his journey, would always be interesting.

* * *

Half an hour later, the police had arrived on the scene. Police officers were snooping all over the clearing, surveying the scene and gathering evidence to be used in court. A medical tent had been erected in the center of the clearing where the injured trainers and their Pokémon were being treated. The Team Rocket members were still out cold and had been handcuffed. They were about to be placed in the back of a big, armored police van capable of holding them all. Their Pokémon had been confiscated.

Lucario was currently watching the scene with interest. The method of dealing with criminals was quite different than what he had grown used to in his own time. Pidgeotto had been returned to her Pokéball and Pikachu had once again taken up residence on Ash's shoulder.

Earlier, Ash had been with the hostages, getting checked over for injuries in spite of the fact that he had told the officers that the Rockets had never even seen him, let alone touched him. Still, the officers had insisted to have him checked over.

He had been 'treated' in the tent earlier. The boy had thanked him profusely and the girl...

Ash blushed.

At the moment Ash was being questioned. He faced an Officer Jenny, who had immediately segregated him from the rest the moment his role in this whole mess became clear.

"...So while you were saving the hostages your Pokémon, the Lucario, had been tasked with taking out the Team Rocket members and their Pokémon, correct?" Officer Jenny questioned him sternly, but not unkindly. She was holding a clipboard where she wrote down all his answers.

"In a nutshell, yes," Ash nodded.

The officer nodded back and wrote down his response. She looked at him and spoke sternly as she addressed him. "Normally I would reprimand you for acting so irresponsibly. Taking on an entire Team Rocket task force by yourself..." She shook her head. Ash's expression turned strained but he held his tongue. "But considering that you saved the hostages and defeated the Rockets without your Pokémon even taking a lick of damage I can ignore it, this time." Jenny gave him a hard look. "Next time, though, call the police and get help. Ten year olds, no matter how strong, have no business dealing with Team Rocket."

"If we hadn't acted immediately Team Rocket would have-" Ash started to protest, but Officer Jenny cut him off.

"I know why you did it, and I respect you for it," she said, her gaze softening slightly. "But you shouldn't place yourself in such danger regardless. That's my job," The officer sighed at his stubborn look. "Please, buy a phone or a PokéNav so that you can call the police for the next time you run into any unfortunate situation. If not for yourself, then for my and your family's peace of mind."

Ash reluctantly nodded in agreement. He supposed that it wasn't a bad idea to get a Phone or a PokéNav. It would at least allow him to remain in contact with his mother and Professor Oak back in Pallet Town all the time. He didn't think that he would ever need to use it to call the police for help, though. It wasn't like he was going to run into anymore situations like this any time soon.

A shiver went down his spine at the thought, and he wondered if Murphy had just gotten on his case.

"Now, do you want a ride to Pewter City?" Jenny asked him kindly. "I can easily arrange for transport if you want to."

"No thank you," Ash shook his head. He would rather travel by foot. As a rookie trainer he needed the experience. He perked up as a question came to him. "How are the hostages? They didn't look so good the last I saw them. Their Pokémon weren't in the best of shape either."

"Yeah, thanks to those damnable Rockets," the officer snarled. She quickly reigned in her temper and spoke more evenly. "The boy, Thane, had his arm broken in three places and has a few fractured ribs. The girl, Alexis, on the other hand, has a black eye, a sprained ankle, and bruises lining her entire body. As for their Pokémon..." She held back another snarl, but only just. "They were so bad of that they almost died from their injuries. Luckily, we managed to get to them in time before it got that far."

Ash frowned heavily and quickly squashed the urge to go and beat up the Rockets. He had no intention to spend the night in jail that would undoubtedly result from such an action. Instead, he gritted his teeth and focused on the officer of the law in front of him.

Officer Jenny smiled at him and lowered her clipboard. "Oh, and before you go I need to see your identification. We need to be sure of who you are if we need you to appear in court at a later date."

Ash nodded and took out his Pokédex. Officer Jenny's eyes widened at it. She obviously knew about it and was surprised to see it. Ash wasn't surprised that she had knowledge of the device; the Pokédex was a rather new invention that doubled as identification, it was her job to know about these things. He handed it to her and watched her as she flipped it open and activated it.

 _I'm Dexter, a Pokédex designed by Professor Oak for Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town,_ the Pokédex said. _My function is to provide Ash with information regarding Pokémon and their training. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced._

Officer Jenny nodded, satisfied. She handed the Pokédex back to Ash and took her leave after wishing him good luck and saying goodbye. Ash watched her go and took one last look at the clearing. He turned to leave...

"Wait!" a shout halted him. Ash turned back and spotted something surprising: Alexis and Thane. They were sluggishly moving toward him. Both had their injuries bandaged. Thane had his arm in a sling and Alexis had half of her face covered in bandages. Ash felt a new surge of anger and a desire to go and beat the ever-loving shit out of the Rockets, but he repressed it. He smiled at them.

"Yes?" Ash asked as they got close. He knew without looking that Lucario was watching the scene with interest from behind him. As was Pikachu from his shoulder. Both Thane and Alexis hesitated for a brief moment before suddenly acting.

"I- No, we- don't know how to tell you this b-but-" Alexis began, but cut herself off. She swallowed thickly and pulled Ash into a hug. "Thank you." Ash was so surprised that he almost didn't react when she kissed him on the cheek. Almost. His face went beet red. Again. He should have become used to this by now, with how much this was happening to him lately.

Thane chuckled at his expression. When Alexis stepped back from him he walked forwards and placed his good hand on Ash's shoulder. "Thank you, kid. If we ever meet again I swear I'll pay you back," He patted him on the shoulder and gave him one last smile before backing of.

"Good, good. Now that you're finished 'thanking' this young man you can both return to the tent," a clearly annoyed voice spoke up from behind the teens. They lightly jumped in surprise, causing them to wince from their aggravated injuries. Ash raised an eyebrow at the irate looking doctor that had suddenly appeared behind his two new tentative friends.

"See?" The lightly balding doctor exclaimed as he took in their pained expressions. "That's what you get when you walk of in the middle of treatment."

He glared at them for a few moments, making them shuffle uncomfortably, before his eyes softened slightly. The doctor ushered to two trainers back to the tent, but not before they said their goodbyes.

"Bye, and stay out of trouble!" Ash shouted as they were herded away. Sweatdropping, he wondered if he was being a hypocrite by saying something like that. After a moment of deliberation he shrugged and left the scene, Lucario following close behind him.

Today he would rest, and tomorrow he would continue on to Pewter City.

He smiled.

Brock was waiting for him.

* * *

Two weeks of traveling later, Ash and co. arrived on the outskirts of Pewter City.

The last two weeks of traveling through the massive Viridian Forest were thankfully less exciting than what had happened on the first day. Ash had noted that the further they traveled into the massive forest the amount of Pokémon trainers decreased. Instead, there were a lot more roofing groups of wild Pokémon.

None of them had been a real issue. His partners were strong enough to take out nearly any Pokémon in the forest without trouble. Not even the bands of Pikachu that were widely regarded as the most dangerous critters in the forest came even close to being a problem. His own Pikachu, who had the now extremely appreciated ability Lightningrod, made nearly all their attacks useless.

Ash's eyes skirted over the buildings as they made their way through the city. The place was known as the city of rock, and it showed. All the buildings were made out of simple bricks that where lightly decorated to please the eyes. The road wasn't basalt, it was an old style brick-lined road. Even the various signs lining the road were made out of brick.

After seeking out the Pokémon Center and reserving a room for the day, Ash hunkered down with his Pokémon to make a few final decisions on their earlier discussed strategy on who would fight first. Having done that, Ash quickly headed towards the Pewter City Gym, whose location he had gotten from the ever helpful Nurse Joy.

The Gym was much less imposing than he had imagined. It had thick slabs of stone at the front, supported by massive wooden beams. The stone only covered the front, though. On the back and the sides it was just an ordinary looking building.

Lucario looked up at the Gym building. He wasn't impressed. _It looks like a badly hewn out rock. How utterly unimaginative._

"So," Ash started. "This is the Pewter City Gym? I was expecting something more...grand."

"It is a Rock-Type Gym," Pikachu pointed out. "What had you expected it to look like. A flower?"

Ash shrugged at the question and walked up to the thick wooden doors of the Gym. Lucario, as always, followed close behind. The door was quite heavy, but Ash was easily able to push it open with his impressive strength. The room was dark and they could feel hard stone underneath their feet as they slowly walked in. They saw that there was a thin path of flattened stone that led to a small lit area.

A teenager with dark skin and a green vest sat on a small pedestal. Ash recognized Brock immediately. The teenager stayed still as he saw them enter, until his eyes focused on Ash. His eyes widened for a split second, just long enough that you were actually able to see his eyes for a moment, before the eyelids closed again as usual.

The broad smile that appeared on Brock's face lit up the dark room. He jumped down from his pedestal. "Ash, it's great to see you again," Brock exclaimed as he approached the group.

"It's great to see you too, Brock," Ash said as he clasped hands with the Gym leader, smiling. Brock was one of the people that he had held contact with over the years. He was one of Ash's closest friends.

Brock's eyes landed on Lucario and his eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. He shrugged and focused back on Ash. "I see that you have some interesting Pokémon." A grin appeared on his face. "Let's stop dawdling. You came here for a battle and as the Pewter City Gym leader I accept your challenge," he said formally. Ash smirked, he was so ready for this.

"It will be a three-on-three battle. You can switch Pokémon at any time. The victory will only go to whoever knocks out all of their opponent's Pokémon, although forfeit is allowed. Are you ready?" Ash nodded at the explanation. Then he blinked, a three-in-three match? Brock must have changed the rules recently. After a moment, he shrugged. There was more battle to enjoy this way.

Ash was nearly vibrating as Brock led them to the battlefield. It was so exciting! He was about to have his first ever Gym match, a match he was determined to win.

Brock quickly led them to the battle arena. Ash and his Pokémon looked at the massive chamber in awe as they stepped in and examined the landscape carefully. The Gym's interior had been carefully molded into a rocky battlefield with a small flat area in the very center.

He looked around and saw that there were balconies far above the battlefield, presumably for spectators. Ash noticed that Brock had walked over to the opposite side of the massive battlefield and was patiently waiting for Ash to finish looking around.

"Get ready!" Brock shouted from across the battlefield. Ash smiled and unclipped a Pokéball from his belt.

"Go, Geodude!" the Gym leader acted first. His Pokéball released a powerful looking Geodude. Its eyes settled on Ash and it clenched its rocky fists in anticipation.

Ash released Pidgeotto a moment later. She screeched and flapped her wings, quickly climbing high up into the air. The Bird Pokémon studied Geodude intently once she was high enough in the air.

Brock looked confused for a moment at Ash's choice of Pokémon, before shrugging it off and starting the match.

"Rock Throw!" he snapped. Geodude reared back and punched the ground with one of its stone fists. A rock nearly the size of Pidgeotto's body shot up from the ground and soared toward the Bird Pokémon.

"Dodge it, then use Sand-Attack," Ash countered. Pidgeotto flapped her wings rapidly, bolting upward and evading the rock thrown at her. Before she could follow the rest of his commands, Brock gave another order.

"Rock Blast! Don't allow it to attack!" The gym leader cut in. Geodude nodded and closed its eyes. As it concentrated, dust particles gathered in front of its face and formed another rock. The Rock Pokémon launched into a rapid fire attack, firing several head-sized rocks at Pidgeotto in a matter of seconds.

"Double Team! Then Gust!" Ash snapped. Pidgeotto's form wavered for a brief second before splitting up in multiple illusionary copies, all arrayed in a circle around Geodude. The Rock Blast's went straight through a fake in Pidgeotto's previous location, dispelling it, but not hitting the real one. Acting quickly Pidgeotto and her copies flapped their wings at Geodude, kicking up a fierce wind in seconds.

Geodude weathered the attack easily. It barely grimaced as the harsh winds buffeted it.

"Hidden Power! Shoot them all down!" Brock ordered over the howling winds. Geodude growled, a sound that reminded Ash of stone grinding against stone, and closed its eyes. A white glow enveloped it moments later and white spheres of energy coalesced around it. It then fired the attack in all directions. The white spheres struck every Pidgeotto, dispelling the fakes on contact and hitting the real one.

Pidgeotto screeched and started falling down from the sky, eyes closed in pain. Ash noticed immediately that Geodude had dropped its guard the moment the attack had hit, secure that it was already victorious.

Ash's eyes narrowed. It was now or never. "Steel Ace!" Ash ordered. He smirked at Brock's confused expression. It was hard to know what your opponent was going to do if you don't know what kind of attack he was going to use. So he had combined Steel Wing and Aerial Ace into Steel Ace. Brock had no idea what was coming.

Pidgeotto's eyes snapped open and narrowed in determination. With a single flap of her wings she righted herself. A second later she disappeared, having used Aerial Ace to speed up so much that she became invisible to the naked eye. Brock's eyes widened in panic and was about to scream something to Geodude, but he was already too late.

The Normal and Flying-Type smashed into Geodude with a silver glowing wing as harsh winds whipped around her body in the form of white wind blades. The Steel Wing, sped up by the Aerial Ace, smashed the Geodude away and into one of the gigantic boulders on the battlefield, shattering it into a million pieces.

"Geodude!" Brock cried out in concern. A moment later Geodude became visible again. It had been knocked out cold instantly by the Steel Wing and Aerial Ace combo. The Gym leader sighed and recalled the Rock Pokémon.

"Impressive…" Brock muttered before grabbing another Pokéball. "But that was just practice! Go, Boldore!"

Ash blinked as a strange Pokémon he had never even heard about appeared on the battlefield. The Pokémon was primarily bluish in coloration. It has an array of red crystals on its back and front, and a spine protruding from between its yellow ears. Rocky chunks at its sides make up pincer-like limbs, tipped with red crystals similar to the ones on its back. It honestly looked a little weird to him.

Brock smiled at his confused expression. "I see that you don't recognize Boldore. Not surprising, Boldore is from the far off Unova Region. I got it from a family friend that lives there. Most Pokémon that are common there like Boldore don't appear in Kanto, and vice versa."

Ash looked interested at that. He quickly shunted his curious thoughts to the back of his mind. Instead, his mind focused on his strange new opponent. He didn't know anything about this Pokémon or what it was capable of, which put him at a disadvantage. His eyes narrowed, he had to be careful with this one.

Or don't even give it a change to fight at all. "Steel Ace!" he ordered once again. Pidgeotto disappeared once again as she used the ultra-fast move, but this time Brock was ready for it.

"Sandstorm!" The dark-skinned teenager countered. Boldore screeched in reply and reared up. It smashed its pincer-like limbs into the ground. Immediately, a ferocious sandstorm enveloped Boldore. Harsh winds whipped around the battlefield, catching Pidgeotto within its grasp.

Pidgeotto was thrown off course by the whipping winds, stopping her attack cold and throwing her away from Boldore. She gasped in pain as she was spun around rapidly thanks to the spinning winds. The rough sand particles buffeted her painfully all the while. Ash's eyes widened, this was bad.

"Finish this with Flash Cannon!" Brock ordered. Despite the sandstorm nearly blocking out all sound Boldore was somehow able to hear the command. It reared back as its center crest glowed silver in preparation for the mighty Steel-Type attack.

As Pidgeotto was trapped in the sandstorm she was unable to evade the attack. A brilliant beam of silvery energy speared through the sandstorm and struck the Bird Pokémon, triggering an explosion and disrupting the sandstorm.

Pidgeotto smashed into the stone floor of the Gym and the sandstorm abruptly ended. Ash sighed and was about to recall Pidgeotto until...

The screeching of talons against stone reached his ears. His eyes widened in disbelieve as he saw Pidgeotto struggle back on her feet. She was far more resilient then he had given her credit for.

Brock looked equally as surprised. He quickly ordered an attack to finish the match for good. "Rock Blast!"

Ash's counter command caught him flat-footed. "Stay where you are." As he ordered that he secretly made a mental connection with Pidgeotto using his Aura and added, _Dodge with Double Team at the last moment and then use Steel Ace._

Multiple rocks of varying sizes rocketed towards Pidgeotto, who hadn't budged from her position at her trainers command. At the very last moment she used Double Team, evading the attack. Without missing a beat she and all her copies flapped their wings. Once again becoming airborne, she and her copies disappeared into Aerial Ace a moment later.

Boldore never stood a chance.

Half dozen fake Pidgeotto's went through Boldore before the real one smashed into it with a glowing wing. Boldore screeched in pain as it recoiled from the attack. It was too heavy to be sent flying by the attack, something that Pidgeotto made brilliant use of.

Her other wing lit up with silver light as well as it too was infused by the power of Steel Wing. She brought both her wings above her head and then smashed them both down brutally into Boldore.

The Rock-Type screeched once again in pain as its head crest cracked under the force. It fainted a moment later. Ash winced, he knew that Rock-Types could easily heal cracks in their rock-hard bodies, but that injury looked quite nasty from where he was standing.

Brock frowned and recalled Boldore a moment later. He clearly hadn't been expecting that. Ash hadn't either, not that he was complaining. Pidgeotto had done great and had acted quickly when the opportunity presented itself.

"Ash," Brock called out over the battlefield. "You're far better than I had expected you to be, but this is where I beat you. Go, Onix!"

Now it was Ash's turn to frown as the behemoth of a Rock-Type appeared on the battlefield. He looked at Pidgeotto and took in her tired and pained expression. The Bird Pokémon collapsed a moment later, she wasn't in any shape to fight anymore. He recalled her immediately.

"You did great Pidgeotto. I couldn't have asked for better," he said. The Pokéball wiggled in response. He shrunk it and clipped it back to his belt.

"Pikachu, it's your turn." Said rodent looked up at Onix, shaking in fear. His eyes hardened a moment later and his shaking stopped. He had trained hard for this battle, too hard for a bit of fear to hold him back. He had promised himself that he would one day be the very best Electric-Type in the world. If something as simple as fear could hold him back he would never reach that goal. He was going to fight and he was going to utterly crush that Onix.

The Electric-Type jumped from Ash's shoulder and landed on the battlefield on all fours. Lightning crackled along his fur and he growled at Onix as the smell of ozone suddenly filled the Gym. Onix looked less than impressed with him.

"Stone Edge!" Brock all but roared as he started the match. Onix's answering roar completely dwarfed his. The Rock Snake Pokémon closed its eyes and concentrated. Sharp, jagged rocks were yanked up from the ground and angled directly at Pikachu moments later.

"Double Team and then Dig," Ash ordered, so softly that Brock and Onix didn't hear it. Pikachu's form wavered for split second. Moments later illusionary copies appeared all over the battlefield. Most of them stood on the rock floor and a few appeared on top of the boulders that dotted the chamber.

Onix quickly adjusted its aim to hit all the copies. The sharp, jagged stones fired in all directions and struck every single fake Pikachu, dispelling them, but not hitting the real one, who had disappeared underground mere moments before. The rest of the stone shards hit the ground and boulders alike, shattering them.

Both Brock and Onix, unknowing that Pikachu had disappeared underground, tried to find him. Suddenly Pikachu appeared underneath the stone behemoths massive bulk and smashed into it. Onix buckled and nearly fell down from the blow. Pikachu quickly jumped back from the behemoth. He had no desire to be crushed under its immense bulk.

"Slam!" Brock ordered. Onix righted itself and reared back. It suddenly lashed towards Pikachu, its long body easily carrying it towards its opponent, ready to slam into the tiny rodent with all of its massive bulk.

"Dig," Ash ordered. Pikachu quickly dug himself underground, evading the head on attack with ease.

"Follow it!" Brock countered. Onix reared up and came smashing down into the ground, cutting through it like a knife through butter, and followed Pikachu underground. Ash's eyes widened. If Pikachu and Onix met underground... He knew exactly who would have the edge there, and it certainly wasn't Pikachu.

There was a moment of tense silence where Brock and Ash only looked at each other across the battlefield, trying to find out what the other was thinking. It was shattered when the ground suddenly shook. There was an explosion of stone and dirt at the very center of the battlefield. Pikachu came flying out, followed closely by Onix.

Pikachu was in pain. Onix had smashed him up out of the ground, but Ash saw an opportunity to end it. "Iron Tail!" He roared. Pikachu's ears twitched when he heard the command. He righted himself and angled his fall down towards Onix. His tail glowed a solid silver as he readied Iron Tail.

Brock's eyes widened in alarm when he heard the command, "Get away from there Onix!" His Pokémon started following the command, but for all the things that an Onix was, it wasn't by any means fast.

Pikachu came falling down from the sky. He was spinning rapidly to build up momentum. His tail was tucked in tightly to his stomach. With on final spin he brought down his Iron Tail dead center on Onix's head.

There was an audible crack and Onix gave a deafening screech of pain, before falling down and fainting outright. The ground shook as the immense Pokémon collapsed. Both trainers nearly fell down from the tremors caused by its fall.

Ash blinked.

It took a moment for it to sink in.

A megawatt smile appeared on his face. They had done it! They had just won their first ever Gym match!

Pikachu came running up to him, having landed on the ground mere moments before. He jumped into his waiting arms. "That was awesome Pikachu!" He said and hugged the electric rodent to his body. Pikachu happily clung to him and basked in his praise. Lucario, who had watched the entire match from beside Ash, looked proud.

"That was an incredible battle, Ash," Brock's voice cut through his celebration. Ash looked up and was surprised the see a smiling Brock standing right in front of him. "As prove of your victory I hand you this symbol, the Boulder Badge," he said, holding out a Badge. It was shaped like a boulder.

"Another boulder, how unimaginative," Pikachu grumbled. He was ignored.

"Thank you," Ash said and gratefully took the offered Badge. He examined it closely before smiling and pinning it to the inside of his jacket.

"You deserve it," Brock said. He looked Ash over curiously. "Where are you going next?"

"Cerulean City. If memory serves correctly, and I'm certain it does, the Gym there specializes in Water-Types. With Pikachu here it should be a cakewalk," Ash responded. "And what are you going to do?"

"Gym leader duties and taking care of the family," Brock answered with a shrug. "What else is new?" He said with a laugh.

"Nothing much," Ash said with a good-natured chuckle. He held out his hand for Brock to take. The Gym leader took it firmly. "It was great seeing you again Brock, and battling you was awesome. Next time we'll have an even grander battle."

"The same here, Ash. Good luck on your journey. I look forward to seeing you compete in the Indigo League," Brock said, smiling. "Go out there and kick some ass."

"Of course!" Ash said with a laugh and let go of Brock's hand. He turned to leave. "Goodbye Brock, and good luck!"

"Goodbye!" Brock screamed after him as Ash left his Gym, followed closely behind by his Pokémon. He smiled as he saw Ash leave through the heavy wooden doors. Brock had a feeling that Ash was going to shake things up big time in the Pokémon World.

He was looking forward to it.

* * *

The very next day, Ash was once again on the outskirts of Pewter City. Pikachu was, as usual, on his shoulder, and Lucario stood beside him. Pidgeotto was in her Pokéball. They were facing the direction of Mt. Moon.

His last day in Pewter City had been mainly spent on relaxing and buying new supplies for his trip into Mt. Moon. He had also taken the opportunity to buy a brand new PokéNav. They were expensive as all hell, but he could easily afford it. The winnings from all the matches that he had won in the Viridian Forest were substantial.

Ash grinned and started walking, the promise of another Gym battle pushing him forward. He savored any chance at showing how good he was, and what was better than a Gym match?

Cerulean City awaited him.

* * *

And that was the second chapter. I hope you guys liked it.

PS: If you hadn't noticed, I drew inspiration from two other stories to make this chapter. Those Stories are:

Traveler by The Straight Elf and Symbiosis by ConstructiveWriter

Both writers and stories are incredible, in my opinion at least. I especially like Traveler. It was my main inspiration for Ash Ketchum: Being More.

Anyway, I highly recommend that you guys go and read those stories. They are sure to hold your attention for quite a while.


	3. Chapter 2: Trial by Lightning

**Ash Ketchum: Being More.**

 **Trial by Lightning and the Makings of a Friendship.**

Dark and dreary clouds blotted out the sun as Ash made his way to Mt. Moon. Said trainer frowned as he looked up at the cloud covered sky. The clouds had come in quickly and without notice, and had obscured the clear blue sky before he even knew it.

It looked like it was about to rain, luckily they had made quick time to Mt. Moon. The imposing mountain loomed overhead, dwarfing even the tallest of trees. Its shadow was huge and stretched to cover nearly a mile of land, casting the gully he was passing through in darkness.

As always, Pikachu was on his shoulder and Lucario was right beside him. The trio was making quick time to their destination. They wanted to be inside Mt. Moon before it started to rain. To their luck, there were only a few trainers who challenged them on the way. Ash easily took care of them, holding his as-of-yet unbroken streak of victories.

Ash's eyes returned to Mt. Moon and he took in the awe-inspiring sight. While not the largest mountain in Kanto, it was one of the most visited and brilliant land marks of the continent. In addition, it was this mountain that split Kanto in two. As such, Mt. Moon was often referred to as 'The Wall'.

Down at the very base of the mountain was a small Pokémon Center, right next to the dark cave leading into the mountain. Ash examined it for a moment before taking out his flashlight from his backpack. He was going to need it if he wanted to traverse the dark passages ahead.

Lucario looked over at him and nodded at the Pokémon Center. Ash shook his head 'no' and continued on tracking towards the cave. There was no need to rest up at the Pokémon Center. They hadn't been traveling all that long and his Pokémon had hardly been weakened from the few battles on their way to the mountain.

Ash frowned as they got closer to the cave. A commotion was going on just in front of it. He could hear people arguing heatedly, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. After a few moments he could see the people who were arguing; a police officer and a couple of burly men.

"What's going on in there?" One of the burly men exclaimed, frustrated. "The Pokémon have become much more aggressive all of a sudden."

"I don't know sir," the police officer responded in a patient manner. "I'm doing everything in my power to try and find out what the cause is of this situation," he replied to the burly man, who Ash now recognized as one of those iconic Hikers that could always be found in and around any mountainous regions.

"What's going on?" Ash questioned when he came close enough to be heard. All their heads snapped towards him. The police officers' eyes sparked in recognition when he saw Ash, but the Hiker responded first.

"Trouble in the mountain, lad. I'm afraid that it might be better if you took the long way around," the Hiker said. He nodded at the mountain cave. "The Pokémon in there have suddenly become a lot more aggressive as of a day ago, for seemingly no reason. It might be a bit too dangerous for a young lad like you to go trespassing there right now."

"More aggressive how?" Ash questioned, masking his irritation for the Hiker who had questioned his strength.

"Like you would expect," The officer said, jumping into the conversation. "The Pokémon in there attack far more frequently than before, and with much more intend to do harm. Normally they mostly leave trainers alone, but all of a sudden they are on edge and attack for the smallest of reasons."

"And you don't know what's causing it?" Ash frowned. He could feel both Pikachu and Lucario tensing up for some reason.

"No," the officer responded, scowling. "There's nothing that points to any reason for this sudden mood swing in the Pokémon."

"Can I still go inside? I'm not planning on walking around the whole damn mountain," Ash asked. Walking around Mt Moon might take weeks while traveling through it would only take a day or two. While he fiercely enjoyed traveling he desperately wanted to have his next Gym battle as soon as possible.

"Why not, lad? Hiking up and down mountains builds endurance and not to mention character!" The Hiker suddenly cut in with a rumbling belly laugh. His friends behind him nodded in agreement. Ash and the officer ignored them.

"You can," The officer nodded. "The worst Pokémon might do to you if your own fail to protect you is shove you down, but they won't do anything seriously harmful. And considering the fact that you managed to take out that group of Rockets on your own I don't think any of the Pokémon in there can give you any trouble. As long as you're careful everything should be fine."

The Hikers blinked, surprised to hear that a ten-year old managed to take out a group of Rocket's by himself. There were rumors going around that a kid had taken down some big-shot Rocket operation, but they hadn't believed it, dismissing it as some baseless rumor, until now at least.

"Good," Ash nodded gratefully at the police officer and quickly headed into the dark cave, Lucario close behind him. He switched on his flashlight immediately. It was far darker than he expected it to be.

Almost immediately a group of Zubat came sweeping down from above, screeching out a challenge. Pikachu reacted instantly and jumped up from Ash's shoulder. He gathered a huge amount of electricity and zapped all the Zubat with one massive Thunderbolt. They screeched in pain and quickly flew off, once again disappearing into the darkness.

"Pikachu, Lucario. What's going on?" Ash questioned lowly as he cast his flashlight around the darkness of the cave, trying to find anymore threats.

"I don't know," Pikachu responded. He was tense and his fur was standing on end. "I just feel as if something is pushing down on me. Some kind of presence. It feels heavy and it puts me on edge."

Ash blinked. He didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Pikachu could feel it and Lucario could too. And the Pokémon in the caves certainly felt it as well. It seemed that only Pokémon could feel this strange 'presence'.

 _I know this feeling,_ Lucario whispered. Ash and Pikachu looked over to him curiously. _I felt something similar when I entered the core of the Tree of Beginning. This presence is very similar to the feeling of being in the presence of Mew._ Lucario looked Ash in the eyes. They had gone wide. _A Legendary is close by and it has put the wild Pokémon on edge._

"A Legendary," Ash whispered in awe. His mind flashed back to his meeting with the Lati twins in Alto Mare. That had been an incredible experience and it had shown to him how special Legendaries truly were. That he was close to another one right now made him oddly giddy.

"I want to see it," he said. The Aura user looked at Lucario imploringly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Pikachu suddenly cut in. He looked nervous at the suggestion. "Just because it's a Legendary doesn't mean that it's friendly. For all we know it just wants be left alone. If we disturb a Legendary and it got angry at us..." The electric mouse shivered.

 _Pikachu, Legendaries aren't that easy to anger. Yes, some of them have fickle tempers but a Legendary won't attack us because we want a glimpse at it,_ Lucario said soothingly. He smiled at the Electric-Type. _Trust me. It will be safe._

After a moment of deliberation Pikachu nodded. "If you say so Lucario."

"Now we just need to know where to look," Ash mused. He closed his eyes and placed his palm in front of his chest. _'The Aura is with me!'_ The very moment he intoned the ancient mantra his Aura sight activated and his gaze spread to cover nearly the entirety of Mt. Moon.

Immediately, his enhanced gaze was drawn to the very top of Mt. Moon. There, right at the top of the mountain, was a huge sphere of power. He couldn't make out what it was, only the feel of immense strength filtered through his enhanced awareness.

Ash brushed up against the presence with his mind. He immediately recoiled. His eyes snapped open wide in awe and he shivered. The power he had just felt... He trailed of in deep thought. That power, it had shattered any of his preconceived notions of strength. Lucario's great strength was nothing to it in comparison.

 _From the look on your face you clearly weren't expecting the feel of a Legendary,_ Lucario said with a faintly amused expression on his face. _It was to be expected. The power of Legendaries is far beyond the mind of mortals like us._

Ash nodded in agreement. That power was far beyond his awareness. It only made him giddier to see the Legendary up close. The sound of stone grinding against stone drew him from his thoughts.

His eyes snapped up and he saw a trio of Geodude rapidly approaching them. They growled at them and reared back to attack them, readying themselves to use Rock Throw.

Lucario reacted with seconds to spare. He jumped forwards, crossing the distance between him and the Rock-Types within the blink of an eye, and slammed a glowing palm into the lead Geodude. The power of a Force Palm erupted from his palm like a cannon in a green burst of energy. The Geodude didn't even cry out in pain. It just fainted instantly and slammed into the cavern wall with the force of a Rock Wrecker.

The other two Geodude's snapped towards Lucario, but before they could react Lucario blasted them both with an Aura Sphere, knocking them out as well.

Lucario smirked in victory. _That was easy._ His eyes turned serious and he looked at Ash. _That said, we will get tired eventually if we keep getting attacked. I suggest we take a stealthy approach and try and avoid any more battles for the time being._

Ash considered this for a moment. A smirk appeared on his face as an even better idea came to him. "No," he said, surprising Lucario. Pikachu cocked his head inquisitively at his trainer, curious as to what he was going to suggest. "I have a better idea," Ash said and took out a leaf from his pocket.

Lucario's eyes lighted up in comprehension, but Pikachu looked confused. "How in Arceus' name is a leaf going to help us against a bunch of aggravated wild Pokémon?" He asked slightly incredulously.

Ash gave a short laugh at the question, reminding himself that Pikachu didn't already know of Oración and of its effects. Before he could answer, though, he spotted a group of Paras emerging from the darkness. They clicked their mandibles threateningly at them and moved towards them. Ash smirked as he placed the leaf against his lips and took a deep breath through his nose. A second later the sweet melody of Oración echoed in the dark cavern.

The Paras stopped advancing on them immediately. Their eyes closed in contentment and they released a low keening sound. Pikachu had a similar reaction; he sagged slightly on Ash's shoulder as his eyes fluttered closed.

The group of Paras stood stock-still, frozen by the beautiful sound. They didn't even react when Ash, who of course had Pikachu on his shoulder, and Lucario walked right past them and down the corridor. They only started moving again when Ash and co. had gotten so far away that Oración could no longer reach them. By that time Ash, Lucario, and Pikachu were long gone.

Ash put out the flashlight and placed it back in his backpack. He would adjust to the darkness rather quickly. It was better if he just let his eyes get used to the darkness, the flashlight should be saved for emergencies

As the group continued down the dark cavern the sound of Oración halted and soothed any Pokémon they encountered. Geodude, Zubat, Clefairy, and Paras all halted and listened to Ash's song, completely enraptured by the beautiful sound.

Pikachu was in a similar state, but he was able to fight through the hypnotizing effect of Oración. His eyes fluttered open and he groaned. "W-what kind of s-song is this?" He gasped out as the beautiful melody tried to return him to his state of bliss.

Lucario answered for Ash as the young trainer continued on playing his song. _This song is called Oración. Ash learned it about four years ago from one of the friends he made on his journey's with his mother. It calms down anyone who hears. It is a song that is capable of soothing the darkest of emotions._ The Aura Pokémon grinned. _It's the perfect tool to calm these wild Pokémon down._

Pikachu groaned as his eyes fluttered close again. Lucario chuckled and closed his own eyes, relying on his Aura sight to lead him through the dark cavern. He listened intently to Oración.

The group kept on walking down the cavern for an unobservable amount of time. It could have been an hour, maybe even ten hours. The song made them lose their connection with time. Any Pokémon that crossed their path stopped whatever they were doing and listened intently to the song, and could care far less for attacking them.

Finally, after a very long time, Ash halted his song. He removed the leaf from his mouth and placed it back in his pocket. Pikachu's eyes snapped open wide as he regained complete control of his body. "That was incredible," the electric mouse breathed out in awe. "Why'd you stop?"

"I'm starting to get hungry," Ash answered. He blushed as his stomach rumbled in agreement. "It's time we eat something." Pikachu's and Lucario's stomachs suddenly rumbled in agreement as well. They quickly agreed to the suggestion of a quick meal.

Ash ate a pair of his sandwiches he had made for himself the day before. They had nothing on the ones his mother had made for him but he would have to make do. Pikachu had his share of Pokéchow and Lucario ate a few berries he had plucked the day before for himself, as a snack for when they entered the caverns of Mt. Moon.

Now that Ash wasn't playing Oración any Pokémon would probably attack them on sight. As they ate they were constantly on the lookout, anxious to see if any Pokémon would once again try to attack them while they ate. A fact they became grateful for when they suddenly heard a deep growl and the sound of stone grinding against stone. A Graveler emerged from way down the cavern and its beady black eyes locked onto them. With a primal roar of anger it came barreling down the dark cavern, moving with speed that a being made of stone had no right to have.

The group's attention snapped to the Rock Pokémon. Lucario acted first, he jumped and flipped in midair, landing behind the spherical Pokémon and slammed a glowing palm into its back. The Graveler howled in pain as the Force Palm detonated and hurled it forwards.

Pikachu rocketed into a Quick Attack, meeting the Rock-Type midway before it could recover from Lucario's Force Palm. His tail burned bright silver as he readied Iron Tail. Giving the Graveler no time to react, Pikachu slammed the Quick Attack boosted Iron Tail into its hard underbelly. The force of the attack was enough to halt Graveler's forwards momentum and cracked its rock-hard outer carapace. Its eyes bugged out in pain.

Finally, it was Ash's turn. With his Aura aiding him he closed to distance with Graveler in the blink of an eye. While still in pain, Graveler lashed out at Ash with one of its large meaty fists. Ash ducked around the attack, reared back and punched with an Aura enhanced punch where Pikachu's Iron Tail had struck mere moments before.

Graveler's outer shell shattered. Sir Aaron's gloves protected his hands from any damage he might have taken from punching solid stone. The Graveler wailed once more in pain before it fainted.

Ash winced at the injuries the Pokémon had sustained in the extremely short battle they had just had with it. He knew that the any Rock-Type Pokémon could easily regenerate any damage to their outer shell, but the damage looked down right lethal to his mind.

Lucario noticed this immediately and tried to reassure him. _Relax Ash,_ he said as he comfortingly patted Ash on the shoulder. _I've seen Pokémon bounce back from way worse injuries than this. Give it an hour and Graveler will be up and about like nothing happened._

Ash nodded, not really convinced, but Lucario's words did calm him down a little. He sighed and scratched his head. "Well, no use worrying about it, I guess. Let's finish our meal and continue on our way." His Pokémon nodded in agreement and quickly went back to their meal. Their group would finish eating soon enough.

The Aura trainee once again placed the leaf against his mouth and started playing Oración. Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder as they made their way down the corridor unopposed, the wild Pokémon once more entranced by the melody of Oración.

After another hour of traveling the group came to a section where the corridor they were in split into three separate directions. One of them, Ash noted, had a sign pointed towards it with a message on it that said it would lead out of Mt. Moon.

Ash directed a look at Lucario, not stopping his song. Lucario got the message and placed his palm in front of his chest spike. The tube like extensions on the back of his head raised in the air as his Aura sight activated at his command.

After a moment or two they lowered again, and Lucario started walking towards the corridor on the right, which Ash had just noticed actually climbed steeply up. It probably led to a higher level. He quickly followed the Aura Pokémon.

The corridor did indeed lead to a higher level. A level with a lot of wild Pokémon. In the end it didn't matter, because all of them fell under the spell of Oración just as easily as the Pokémon on the level below.

The group continued on in silence, only the song of Oración filled the silent chambers as they walked. Any wild Pokémon they encountered on the way fell silent as they approached. They climbed up a couple more levels, coming closer and closer to their end goal.

Finally, after traveling for what seemed like an entire day, a meager amount of light greeted them up ahead. Their eyes lighted up and they quickly made for the opening in the mountain.

Ash stopped playing as they exited the chamber and emerged on Mt. Moon's exterior. They were on a steep cliff which led into a narrow path that traveled up the mountain. Stars twinkled overhead, it was night-time. Ash frowned as even darker clouds than before obscured the stars once more.

Lucario looked at the position of the stars and calculated for a moment. He whistled. _It's already two o'clock in the morning. We have been traveling for far longer than I had expected._

Pikachu snorted softly at that. Ash shivered as the cold and crisp night air brushed up against him. Then he yawned. "I'm rather tired. Let's set up camp here and continue tomorrow." His friends nodded in agreement. Ash released Pidgeotto. He smiled at the sleepy Normal and Flying-Type. "Hey, Pidgeotto. Would you please get us some fire wood?"

Pidgeotto yawned and nodded at him. She quickly flew down the mountain, towards the woods to find some firewood. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Lucario had dug the trench for the campfire. Ash sighed and took out his sleeping bag from his backpack and placed it down on the ground.

Pikachu snickered. "You both look tired," he noted. "And I'm not. You both need to work on your endurance."

Ash's and Lucario's brow twitched. "I think that's because you have been sitting on my shoulder this entire time, Pikachu. You're just lazy," Ash returned drily.

"Or maybe I was being smart and let someone else do the hard work for me," Pikachu countered, smiling mischievously.

"Right," Ash snorted. "No, you're just lazy." Lucario nodded in agreement. Just then, Pidgeotto returned with a stack of firewood clenched in her talons.

Ash smiled gratefully at her as he took the firewood from her. "Thank you, girl," he said as he pet her head. She cooed softly back at him before he returned her. He quickly placed down the firewood in the center of the trench. With the help of Lucario they quickly had a fire going.

The group settled around the campfire, comforted by its warm glow. Ash looked up at the peak of Mt. Moon in the distance, barely visible in the darkness of the night. If he had to guess, they had climbed about halfway up the mountain. Tomorrow they would reach the peak. The thought made him smile.

He remained awake for another fifteen minutes before wishing his Pokémon goodnight and crawling into his sleeping bag.

Ash went out like a light.

* * *

The next morning Ash was awoken by the clean and crisp mountain air. He yawned and crawled out of his sleeping bag. He looked around their campsite and raised an eyebrow at the sleeping forms of Pikachu and Lucario. Strange, usually Lucario was awake long before he even started stirring.

Ash shrugged off the anomaly and went about his morning rituals. Having done that he sat down on his sleeping bag to have his breakfast, another pair of self-made sandwiches. The Aura user frowned at them. He needed to have some more variety in food, otherwise anything he ate would become pretty stale in time.

While eating he looked up at the sky and frowned at the still dark cloud-covered sky. The fluffy white and grey clouds of yesterday had given way to pitch black thunder clouds. It might be a little dangerous to be on a mountain right now, he mused. After a second of thought, Ash shrugged. He and Lucario could redirect electricity into the ground using their Aura so they were safe from lightning strikes. And Pikachu was an Electric-Type, enough said.

When he was halfway done with his sandwiches Lucario woke up. He got up from his position besides the extinguished remains of the campfire and stretched to get all the kinks out. The Pokémon blinked when he spotted Ash already awake. He wished his student good morning, which was returned, and sat down to have his own breakfast.

Ash finished his breakfast moments later and took out the Pokéchow from his backpack. He took out two boles and filled them up with the Pokémon food. "Pikachu, it's time to wake up and smell the sunshine!" He called out to his starter. Pikachu woke up, groggy, and grumbled something under his breath. He rolled over, not wanting to wake up yet, until his nose detected the presence of the Pokéchow. His eyes snapped open and he bolted for his bowl of food.

Snorting, Ash unclipped Pidgeotto's Pokéball and released the avian. She yawned as she finished materializing and wished him good morning. "Good morning, Pidgeotto," Ash returned. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine," she said slightly tiredly. The avian woke up completely moments later. Her eyes narrowed at their surroundings. "Ash, I was too tired to ask yesterday, but what are we doing on Mt. Moon? I thought you'd said we would head directly towards Cerulean City."

"I did say that," Ash confirmed. He smiled in anticipation as he continued. "But when we entered Mt. Moon I learned something amazing that altered my plans. The Pokémon in the caverns became very aggressive all of a sudden. Lucario deduced the reason for that to be a Legendary that has taken up residence on the very peak of Mt. Moon."

Pidgeotto blinked, clearly not having expected that. She grumbled lightly to herself. Around Ash the most unlikely things always seem to happen without fail, and she hadn't even been traveling with for more than three weeks yet.

Ash's smile widened as he furthered his explanation. "Since seeing a Legendary is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I decided that we should make a detour in order to see it. You know, for the experience."

"I see," she responded after a moment of processing his answer. The avian shivered slightly as the cold morning mountain air rustled her feathers. She clicked her beak as she smelled the Pokéchow. "Excuse me," the Normal and Flying-Type said and hopped off towards her bowl of food.

Ash chuckled at that and moved back to the remains of the campfire. It was time he repeated one of many exercises Lucario had shown him in order to learn how to control his Aura. The cap wearing trainer hadn't used it for a while and he supposed he needed to have the repetition. He sat down in a cross-legged position and placed his hands on his legs, palms, covered by Sir Aaron's gloves, facing upwards.

The Aura trainee took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and focused his Aura. His life energy practically leapt at him at his command and embraced him fully as it surged into every nook and cranny of his body, filling him with immense strength.

He regulated that energy with an iron will as his focus sharpened. While his mind was in a total Zen state of mind, on the outside his body was in a completely different state. The blue energy of Aura surged up and down his body in a magnificent display. His hair rustled wildly thanks to the release of power. And the crystals embedded into the gloves he was wearing shimmered with focused power.

The Pokémon trainer reveled in his power. It was so exhilarating, so liberating, so empowering. Nothing could compare to this.

After a moment of simply wallowing in his power, Ash focused his Aura sight. With the extra focus lent to him by being in a meditative state the scope of his Aura sight increased dramatically. It could now cover the entirety of Mt. Moon. He still wasn't able to make out the exact location of the Legendary. It was still obscured behind the immense veil of power that its mere presence generated around itself.

 _Ash,_ Lucario's voice broke through his meditation and inner thoughts. His Aura retreated back into his body as his hold over it broke. He opened his eyes and snapped them up at Lucario. Said Pokémon gestured for him to get up. _Everybody is ready to head out. We're leaving._

Ash nodded and got up from his position on the ground. He cracked and rolled his neck to get all the kinks out. After a moment of doing that he looked around the cliff they were on. Everything had been cleaned up and his backpack laid ready for him.

He quickly got ready to leave and waited until Pikachu had taken his spot on his shoulder again before heading out. "Let's go. I want to see that Legendary before nightfall." His Pokémon nodded at him and followed him as they started trudging down the narrow path up the mountain.

They traveled in silence, they had nothing to really talk about at the moment. A cold breeze swept past them. Ash could already smell the rain coming. He was proven right moments later as a slow drizzle started falling from the sky, pattering against the lid of his cap.

It wasn't long before it was raining down by the bucket loads. A harsh wind battered against them and thunder crackled overhead.

Pikachu and Lucario were easily withering it; Pokémon were hardy like that. Ash wasn't dealing so well with it, but he could ignore the cold and the uncomfortable wetness soaking into his pores. Lucario had trained him nearly every day since he had become his student, and he didn't call off their training for some bad weather. He could deal with this.

Suddenly, and completely without warning, there was a bright flash of white, thunder rolled in the sky and there was a scream that reverberated down Ash's spine and into stomach, where a cold pit formed.

His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed in the direction he had heard the scream originate from. He could barely see through the bad weather, but he could just make out a small shape dangling of off a cliff further down the path on a slightly higher elevation then they were on.

Ash was running down the narrow path before even his conscious mind had registered that his feet were moving. Pikachu clung with all his might to Ash's jacket as he was almost flung away from Ash's shoulder. Lucario was hot on his heels.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME! I'M SLIPPING!" Came the extremely frightened and clearly feminine scream, which was actually only barely being heard over the crackle of thunder. As if to place emphasis on her words, a piece of rock broke off besides the form dangling down the cliff side and fell down the steep mountain, disappearing out of their view in mere moments as gravity pulled it down in the deep, dark gully.

"We're not gonna make it in time!" Ash hollered at Lucario. "Give me a push!" Lucario acted immediately at his request. The Aura Pokémon grabbed Ash tightly, his paws clenching around the fabric of his jacket, and swung him bodily around. With a yell of exertion and Aura enhanced strength he hurled Ash towards the struggling girl.

Ash soared through the air with all the grace and speed of a flying bullet. Higher and higher he went as he got closer and closer to his goal. Harsh winds whipped at his face and water battered his form. Lightning bolts rolled through the sky in a flashy show of lights, nearly blinding him with their intensity.

And yet, his eyes refused to move from his goal.

"Ahh!" The girl let out a startled yelp as the rock she was holding onto cracked and then suddenly fell apart. Her eyes widened and she screamed in paralyzing fear as the force of gravity asserted its dominance. She plummeted into the abyss, falling down the deep and dark gully.

The young would be hero's eyes widened as he realized in less than a nanosecond that he wouldn't be able to catch her in time. She was going to plummet to her death!

Without thinking and acting on instinct Ash channeled a shitload of Aura to his legs and kicked the air in mid-flight. There was the sound of something popping and suddenly he was moving nearly twice as fast as he was before.

Just fast enough to save the girl.

He caught her in midair, catching her in his arms bridal style. Her eyes snapped up towards him, uncomprehending what was going on and glazed with naked fear.

Ash's momentum made them continue on soaring in the sky for a few more moments before they were pulled down towards the ground again. They landed safely on the narrow path.

The girls eyes remained trained on his, as if in a trance. Ash took the chance to take in her appearance.

The girl in his arms had wavy purple hair, which was drenched and matted with water. Deep purple eyes looked unthinkingly back at him. Her clothes consisted of a white and light purple T-shirt with wide sleeves along with yellow lines and dots. Light purple jeans and black shoes finished her attire. Ash winced, she sure wasn't dressed for traveling on a mountain.

The purple haired maiden blinked dumbly at her rescuer, not really believing what just happened.

Then it clicked.

Her hands came up and hooked themselves around Ash's neck. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as she started sobbing in relieve. Ash held her uncomfortably. He wasn't really sure how one should deal with a distraught girl. In the end he simply held her tightly and whispered sweet nothings and reassurances into her ear.

 _We should get her someplace where she can recover from her experience,_ Lucario said, having just caught up with Ash. Said trainer twitched at suddenly hearing his voice. _Preferably somewhere dry,_ Lucario continued.

"Could you search for one? I don't think splitting my attention is a good idea right about now," Ash said, shifting the girl in his arms. Lucario nodded and placed his palm in front of his chest spike. The tube like extensions on the back of his head raised into the air as his Aura sight activated.

 _There's a cave a little farther up ahead,_ Lucario announced a moment later as his eyes opened and the tube-like extensions dropped back down. _If we hurry we could be there in five minutes._

Ash nodded and started moving down the narrow mountain path in a quick jog. He didn't want to needlessly tussle around his passenger now would he?

All the way to the cave the girl clung tightly onto him. She had stopped crying, but her body was wracked with tremors born of fear and shock. Ash held her tightly in turn, trying to provide her some comfort.

It took somewhat longer then Lucario had estimated to reach the cave because they weren't moving at their top speed, but they got there.

Ash whispered encouragingly into the girl's ear as they entered the cave. It was cold and dark, but it was dry. His eyes turned over to his mentor. "Lucario, go get some wood. We need to warm her up." Lucario nodded at him and ran back out into the rain to do as he requested.

Ash turned his attention back over to the girl he still held in his arms. He lowered her, allowing her feet to touch the ground. She seemed a bit shaky, so he guided her to a rock she could sit on. He sat her down and shrugged off his backpack. He opened one of the largest side pockets and took out a thick, fuzzy blanket. He unfolded it and wrapped it around the shivering girl. She took it gratefully and wrapped it tighter around herself.

"There you go," he said and stepped back to give her some space. "Is that better?" The girl nodded minutely, not daring to look at him. Ash frowned at her. She still seemed very shaken up, which was to be expected after nearly falling down a cliff. Talking to her should distract her a bit, he mused to himself. "What's your name?" He asked the girl, genuinely curious.

The girl's purple eyes flickered towards him at the question. She hesitated for a brief moment before responding. "Anabel. My name is Anabel."

Ash smiled at her. "Anabel, that's a nice name." Despite herself, Anabel blushed at the compliment. He looked her over curiously as he asked his next question. "What you're doing here anyway? You aren't exactly dressed for traveling in the mountains."

Anabel answered immediately, more sure of herself now. She barely stuttered as she spoke. "I-I wanted to see the Legendary," was the surprising answer. Ash looked at her weirdly. How did she know of the Legendary that had taken up residence on Mt. Moon?

She noticed his look and hurried to explain. "I-I have a special ability," she said in a huff. "It allows me to understand the thoughts of any Pokémon I am close with and communicate mentally with them. I call it Empathy. The moment I entered Mt. Moon I noticed the change in the wild Pokémon and my own. They informed me of what was going on. That a Legendary was on Mt. Moon," Anabel smiled weakly at him. "Seeing a Legendary is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just had to see it, and it nearly got me k-killed."

Ash slung his arms around her as Anabel started sobbing again, reminded of her terrible experience. There wasn't much he could say to her to calm her down, so he simply held her close.

And then he remembered the leaf in his pocket. He tightened his hold on Anabel and took out his leaf whistle. Placing it against his mouth Ash started playing the beautiful and calming melody of Oración. The sound echoed in the dark cavern, adding to the beauty of the sound.

Anabel stilled as the sound washed over her. She wrapped her arms around Ash's midsection and relaxed into him as she simply continued listening to the high-pitched yet calming melody of Oración.

And then another idea hit him. Ash smiled as he made the suggestion and removed the leaf from his mouth. "Let out your Pokémon. I'm sure that they will be happy to know that you're all right. Besides, I'm curious what kind of Pokémon you have."

Anabel grabbed onto the suggestion immediately. She separated from Ash and unclipped three Pokéballs from her belt. Enlarging them with a push of a button she threw them into the sky, releasing the Pokémon within.

In three flashes of light her Pokémon materialized. Ash recognized the Pokémon immediately. They were rather well-known Pokémon in Kanto after all. He saw an Eevee, a Kadabra and a Munchlax.

Ash noticed something peculiar. The moment they had finished materializing his Aura senses picked up on something remarkable: there was a connection between Anabel and her Pokémon. He could feel Aura flowing between the Pokémon and their trainer. They were bonded together, he realized with a start. So this was the source of the Empathy Anabel had mentioned.

Her Pokémon immediately noticed their trainer's sorry state. Anabel did indeed look rather miserable at the moment; nearly falling off a cliff would do that to you. The Eevee cried out worriedly and tackled her trainer, clinging to her chest. The Kadabra approached silently, its eyes betraying its concern for its trainer and the short squat form of the Munchlax promptly wrapped its stubby hands around Anabel's leg in the form of a hug.

Anabel's eyes softened as she petted all three of her Pokémon comfortingly. "It's all right, guys. I'm perfectly fine." She raised a hand and pointed at Ash, "He saved me from falling down a cliff." Anabel paused as her Pokémon looked horrified at the thought. Her eyes turned back over to her rescuer. "I actually didn't get your name," she said pointedly.

Ash chuckled. "I'm Ash. Nice to meet you."

Anabel rolled her eyes. Ash smiled. Letting out her Pokémon did wonders to calm her down. He blinked when Anabel's Pokémon turned to look at him and called out their thanks to him for saving their trainer. Ash nodded back at them. Anabel looked at him weirdly, probably wondering how he had understood what her Pokémon had said, before shrugging it off and thinking that he had just guessed correctly.

At that very moment Lucario returned. He stepped into dark cave, his fur completely drenched, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least, though. He, like Ash, trained in any kind of weather. A bit of rain wasn't going to annoy him. Anabel watched Lucario closely as he laid down the stack of firewood in his arms in the center of the cave.

Lucario turned his head to look at Ash. _Could you give me the flint, please?_

Anabel's eyes turned wide and her Pokémon's attention snapped towards Lucario, gaping. Lucario sighed quietly to himself. He was never going to stop having those looks directed at him, would he?

"You can talk!" Anabel exclaimed in a shocked manner.

Lucario and Ash rolled their eyes. _Yes, I can talk. Isn't it fan-fucking-tastic?_ Lucario said in annoyance as Ash handed him the flint. With a few deft flicks he had a spark and moments later they had a nice little fire going.

Anabel blushed. "Sorry, you must get that a lot."

 _You have no idea,_ Lucario muttered as he sat down and warmed his wet form with the warm glow of the fire.

Ash huffed before turning his eyes over to Anabel. "Just ignore him. He can be a real grouch sometimes, with a major stick up his ass." Lucario twitched slightly as Anabel giggled and her Pokémon snickered, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Anabel's Eevee chose that moment to make a comment. "He does have that 'don't mess with or I'll turn you inside out in the most painful manner possible' attitude around him," the little brown Pokémon said with a distinctively girly voice.

There was a multitude of reactions to that comment. Anabel giggled again. Lucario twitched harder. The Kadabra looked amused. The Munchlax was snickering and Ash...

...He just had to needle Lucario a bit further. "Yup, that's Lucario all right. An over the top and utterly crazy jacka-"

Lucario snapped. As quick as lightning he had bolted up right. He put his clenched fists together as blue light flickered in between his closed fist before he ripped them apart, creating a blue staff made out of solid energy. Ash recognized Lucario's Bone Rush with a start, but had no time to react when Lucario stepped closer to him and pointed the butt of the staff towards the ground at an angle, before sharply twisting and sweeping the staff upwards at high speeds...

Right in between Ash's legs.

He had a split second to regret how stupid he had just been before the staff made contact with his family jewels. The Aura user buckled and collapsed, assuming a fetal position on the ground as he took on the appropriate position. "You... dick," he managed to gasp out.

Lucario huffed and allowed his Bone Rush to dissipate. _It's your own fault. You should know better than to antagonize someone you know can kick your ass as easily as he can breath._

Anabel looked at the scene and wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. She found it faintly amusing, though. Then she cocked her head to the side as she realized something strange. "Hey, did he just understand what Eevee had said?" She wondered out loud, remembering that Ash had followed up on Eevee's remark perfectly.

Lucario sighed and scratched the back of his head. Considering that Ash was still twitching on the ground in a fetal position he decided to answer Anabel's question. _Yeah, my student here has the ability to use Aura. With the right training Aura can be used to translate PokéSpeech. I taught Ash this skill years ago, something I'm regretting right about now._

"Really? That's quite fascinating," Anabel mused, an interested glint in her purple eyes. Her gaze was drawn back to Ash as he got up from his fetal position, still wincing in pain as he moved. Her brow raised in surprise at how fast he had managed to recover. That was a very hardy boy, she mused to herself.

Ash glared at Lucario, still shifting on the balls of his feet and wincing in pain. "I'm gonna get you back for that," he threatened.

Lucario rolled his eyes. _You're welcome to try._

Anabel coughed to get their attention. Which was a good thing since Ash was about to say something particularly stupid. "Uh, sorry to interrupt your, let's say, 'friendly banter'," she said, making air quotes with her fingers. "But I'm curious, why are you guys here? There isn't much to see here except for the Legendary..." Her eyes widened as she inadvertently answered her own question. Ash could understand PokéSpeech just like she could, so his own Pokémon must have informed him of the Legendary just like hers had done for her, she reasoned.

"Of course we're here for the Legendary," Ash answered with a chuckle. "I've only ever met a pair of Legendaries once before, but that one time was truly magical..."

Anabel's attention snapped towards Ash, her eyes wide. "You've met Legendaries, as in plural, before?" She questioned incredulously.

Ash nodded with a smile. "Yup. When I visited Alto Mare in Johto when I was seven I met a Latios, Latias, and their father completely by accident. We became close friends within days. It's one of my most cherished memories, close behind meeting Lucario here," he said, gesturing to Lucario.

 _Suck up,_ Lucario said teasingly. Ash rolled his eyes.

"We're such a happy family," Pikachu deadpanned. He really couldn't have gotten any more strange partners, could he? The rodent shuddered at the very thought. The roar of thunder broke through his reverie, causing him to yelp in surprise. Everyone but Lucario reacted in a similar manner.

Ash's eyes turned over to the entrance to the cave and noted with some surprise that it had stopped raining. Thunder and lightning still lit up the dark and cloud covered sky, but the rain had halted. How strange.

His eyes once again sought out Anabel and he delicately asked a simple question. It wouldn't do to upset her again now that she had completely calmed down. "Do you think you're still up for traveling? I'm still very much dead set on seeing that Legendary, and I'm unsure how long it remain on the top of the mountain."

Anabel hesitated for a brief moment before nodding as she got up. She rolled her neck and returned Kadabra and Munchlax back to their Pokéball. Eevee jumped up on to her trainer's shoulder, just like Pikachu did with Ash. "Yes, I'm not going to let some near death experience hold me back. I'm made from sterner stuff then that. Besides, with you guys I'll should be perfectly safe. I've nearly died trying to see this Legendary. I'm going to see it, one way or the other." Despite her words her eyes turned worried and scared for a split second as she looked out of the cave, but then she shook her head and cleared her mind.

Ash looked her in the eyes. They were devoid of fear. He nodded at her and gestured to the entrance of the cafe. "Shall we?"

Anabel nodded and walked out, a purpose in her step. Ash followed her while Lucario quickly doused the fire, smothering it with his Aura. He caught up with them as they were once again walking up the short narrow path.

As they walked Ash decided to strike up a conversation with Anabel. "So, Anabel?" The girl's eyes turned over to him. "Where are you from?"

Anabel smiled. "I was born and raised in Celadon, and I'm damn proud of it. You?"

Ash chuckled. "Ever heard of Pallet Town? I was born and raised there," he said, intentionally repeating Anabel's own words.

The maiden blinked her purple eyes. That name seemed familiar to her from somewhere, but she couldn't place it. Then, it suddenly clicked. "You mean you're from the town where professor Oak lives! Have you met him?" She questioned, suddenly oddly giddy.

Ash nodded with a smile. "Yup, I know him rather well to be honest. His ranch is just down the street from my home, so my mother and I visited him regularly."

"What's he like?" Anabel asked with giddy excitement.

Ash laughed. "Professor Oak is just like you would expect from a man such as him. Kind, wise, and generous. He's like the wise old grandpa that I never had."

Anabel hummed at his question and looked happy. Her next question got cut of as thunder once again rolled through the sky. She flinched violently, but didn't react further. The maiden relaxed again after a few seconds.

Ash looked closely at her and was relieved to see that she was handling her trauma rather well.

The group fell silent after that. They continued to walk up the short and narrow path leading higher up into the mountain for nearly three hours before Ash deigned to speak again. "Lucario." His mentor perked up at hearing his voice and shot him a curious look. "How much farther is it?"

Lucario rolled his eyes and placed his palm in front of his chest spike. He didn't pause in his walking as his Aura sight activated and allowed his gaze to travel all the way up the mountain. The Aura Pokémon's eyes opened after half a minute of calmly judging how long they would have to continue to walk to reach their destination. _At our current rate we will reach the top of Mt. Moon, where the Legendary resides, in about fifteen minutes._

Ash nodded as a giddy smile stretched across his face. Anabel looked equally as excited as him. Both Pikachu and Lucario looked excited as well, Pikachu in particular looked oddly bouncy and had trouble remaining still on Ash's shoulder. With a bounce in their step they continued tracking up the mountain.

As Lucario had predicted they arrived at the summit of Mt. Moon fifteen minutes later. Ash and co. looked around in awe. They could see for miles around. The mountain chain stretched out from their left into the distance and soared high enough into the atmosphere that the top was hidden from sight by the thick and dark thunder clouds. To their right, behind them, and in front of them the immense forest that surrounded Mt. Moon was on full display. They could even see Cerulean City in the distance.

The view was amazing, to say the least.

The crack of thunder broke through their awed sight-seeing. Their gaze snapped upwards, towards the spot that could be likened to the eye of a storm. There, high up in the air, at the very center of the storm, was an unnatural sphere of lightning suspended in midair. Before anyone in the group could inspect the sphere of pure power any closer it suddenly moved.

With the speed of lightning it rocketed downwards and struck the dirt in front of the group, melting the stone summit of Mt. Moon. Ash's hair stood on end as a current of electricity arched through his body, but curiously didn't do any harm to him. The sound of lightning, something they had become intimately familiar with in the last few hours, boomed thrice as loud as normal around them.

Anabel recoiled, fear flaring up in her eyes. Her Eevee rubbed her face against her trainer, trying to calm her down. Lucario shifted on the balls of his feet and got ready to move in a moment's notice. Pikachu clung tightly to Ash's shoulder as unnaturally powerful lightning coursed up and down his body.

In front of them the shell of unnatural lightning was now anchored to the ground. Ash's eyes widened as he spotted the truly massive and magnificent bird hunched up inside of it. He recognized the creature immediately. There was no mistaking the form of Zapdos. The electric bird of the Legendary Bird Trio of Kanto.

The shell of lightning suddenly surged upwards into the dark, cloud covered sky. A beam of pure, concentrated lightning that could be seen for miles around. Ash was nearly blinded by the display, but he refused to look away from the spectacle.

Zapdos, now completely revealed to them, looked down at the rag-tag group of trainers and Pokémon in front of it. Its gaze shined with golden light as it inspected them, seemingly judging the group.

It squawked and lightning boomed in response, shaking Mt. Moon with its intensity. The great bird unfurled its immense spiked wings and lighting descended from the sky and struck around the group, melting and pulverizing stone with ease.

Yet they refused to cower in front of the Legendary.

The golden glow in Zapdos' eyes turned even brighter in hue as it raised its spear like beak into the sky, beckoning towards the thunder clouds. In response, a godly bolt of lightning speared down from the heavens.

Directly towards the group.

They gasped and stumbled back in response. Ash grabbed Anabel and covered them both in a shell of Aura, readying it to redirect the lightning into the ground, hoping that it was actually possible to take a lightning bolt of a Legendary. Lucario acted just as fast and covered himself as well in a bright sphere of Aura, ready to do his bidding and protect him.

They didn't have to bother.

Pikachu jumped up from Ash's shoulder, eyes set and determined. Ash watched in horror as the lightning bolt summoned by the Legendary was diverted from its original goal and towards his starter, pulled of course by Pikachu's Lightningrod ability.

With the loudest roar of thunder Ash had ever heard the lightning bolt struck Pikachu. A sphere of lightning surrounded him as the sky continued streaming down the lightning into Pikachu for far longer that should have been possible.

And then with an audible crack the lightning bolt cut off. Pikachu hung in midair, Zapdos' power keeping him there.

With a deafening scream of defiance and pain Pikachu discharged all the gathered lightning around and in him back into the one that had summoned it, sending it spearing back into Zapdos, almost as if in punishment for daring to attack them. Zapdos flinched, more in surprise than anything else, but its own power could do nothing to harm the mighty creature.

It took almost a minute for Pikachu to discharge the lightning back into the Legendary. In that entire minute Ash didn't dare to look away from the spectacle, hoping and praying that Pikachu would be fine and that Zapdos wouldn't try to attack them again.

Pikachu fell down, the power of Zapdos no longer keeping him suspended in midair. Ash jumped forwards and caught Pikachu before he could fall to the ground. He inspected the smoking form of Pikachu closely and was relieved to see that besides a few burned patches of fur that Pikachu looked completely fine.

And then he noticed the slightly glazed look in his starter's eyes.

"Pikachu, are you all right?!" Ash asked, panicking.

"...Is this what a pothead feels like? If so, I don't think I'll be able to hate them," Pikachu spoke up drunkenly. He shivered as the left over power of Zapdos surge lightly in his system.

Ash, Lucario, Anabel and Eevee had to snort at the absolutely ludicrous response from the Electric-Type.

Another squawk of the Legendary in front of them and the boom of thunder summoned by it made their attention snap back towards it. The moment they made eye contact with Zapdos they noticed that it held a different emotion now, other than indifference.

Respect.

It squawked at them one last them and bowed its head lightly at them before flapping its spiked wings and taking towards the air in one smooth motion. Dirt was thrown up and away from a single beat of its wings before it shot up into the sky. The group watched the Legendary ascend into the sky and saw it disappear into the dark clouds, even as thousands bolts of lightning focused on it.

Within moments, it was gone.

The group continued to watch, hoping to catch another glimpse of the Legendary. They were soon to be disappointed, however, as another minute passed and the Legendary didn't reveal itself once more.

The dark clouds, clearly summoned by the mere presence of Zapdos, slowly started to dissipate. Bright rays of sunlight broke through the slowly disappearing cloud coverage and threw shadows everywhere.

"That was..." Anabel spoke up first, a tremor of awe to her voice.

"A hell of a lot more dramatic than when I met Latios and Latias," Ash muttered quietly to himself.

"The myths don't do the Legendaries justice," Eevee mused to herself.

"...Legendaries aren't that easy to anger, you said. They just had fickle tempers, you said. It won't attack us for wanting a glimpse at it, you said," Pikachu spoke up sarcastically from Ash's arms, glaring angrily at Lucario.

Lucario twitched. He sighed and looked at Pikachu with a serene expression. _Pikachu, didn't you notice that Zapdos never appeared even remotely angry with us? It measured us, judged us, and evaluated us. I think it summoned that lightning bolt to test us._

"Test us?" Pikachu repeated in disbelieve. "You don't summon a lightning strike, a real lightning strike, to test someone. But to kill someone."

"Maybe not," Ash mused thoughtfully. "Remember when that electrical current went through our bodies when Zapdos appeared in front of us in that ball of electricity? It did nothing to harm us while it should have at least been mildly uncomfortable. I think that Zapdos might be able to control electricity to such an extent that it can guide it straight through living organisms without doing any harm."

"It certainly did hurt when I intercepted it," Pikachu countered, gesturing to his burned patches of fur.

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "It doesn't matter either way. What happened, happened and we got out alive, and even got to see a Legendary up close," he added brightly.

"True," Anabel said, jumping into the conversation. "Despite everything that happened we came out alright and got to experience something incredible, something so rare that we might never experience it again." The others nodded at her in agreement. She then grew pensive and sighed. "And now we've got to get down the mountain," Anabel groaned. "This is gonna suck."

Ash frowned. It was going to suck big time to travel all the way down the mountain after scaling it. Oh well, there was no way around it...

He trailed of and nearly smacked himself over the head as he remembered one crucial skill his psychic powers granted him. Teleportation. How in the name of Arceus had he forgotten about that?

"Not really. Here, give me your hand," Ash instructed and held out his hand for Anabel to take. She looked at him quizzically for a moment before nodding at him and grasping his hand. Lucario, already knowing what his student had in mind placed his paw in Ash's shoulder.

Ash closed his eyes and focused. Blue light emanated from behind his closed eyelids as he brought his psychic powers to the forefront of his mind. With a flash of light and a crack of sound the group disappeared from the summit of Mt. Moon.

Only to reappear moments later inside the gigantic mountain, at the intersection where the caverns split up in three directions. The same one Ash, Lucario, and Pikachu had encountered the day before.

"Holy!" Anabel breathed as she let go of Ash's hand. "I thought you were an Aura user, not a psychic!"

"I'm both," Ash said, chuckling. Meanwhile, Pikachu scampered up Ash's arm and took his spot on his trainers shoulder.

"Any more surprises I need to be aware of?" Anabel questioned playfully, yet quite curious if that indeed was the case.

"Nope," Ash shrugged. "Besides those things I'm a perfectly ordinary guy."

Anabel snorted and started walking down the cavern that lead to Cerulean City. Ash and Lucario followed close behind her. "Hey Ash," Anabel spoke up hesitantly. Ash give her a curious look. Anabel hesitated again before soldiering on. "Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while?"

Ash blinked in surprise, taken aback for a moment, before smiling brilliantly. "Sure, I would like that very much." He shot her a curious look. "May I ask why, though?"

Anabel shrugged. "It's more fun traveling with someone who you can talk to. And while we can both hold a conversation with our Pokémon without any problems, it still isn't the same as talking with another Human."

Ash hummed as they continued walking down the cavern. "And how long will you be traveling with me?"

Anabel shrugged again. "Not sure. As long as it's fun to do so, I suppose."

Ash chuckled at that answer. "Then you'll never separate from me. I have a penchant of running into very... interesting situations every once in a while."

"I figured that from your stories, and trust me, I have no problem with that," Anabel said drily. "It's at least never boring around you."

Lucario sighed and rolled his eyes. _You have no idea,_ he muttered.

Pikachu snorted and nodded in agreement. He had been traveling with Ash for little longer than two weeks, and yet a lot had already happened. They had fought when they had first met. Then they had run into those Team Rocket stooges. Shortly after that they had their first ever Gym match. And then they had to go and meet a Legendary.

Interesting didn't even begin to cover how it was to travel alongside Ash.

"So Anabel," Ash began. "Are you also going to challenge the Gym leaders and take on the Indigo League?" He asked curiously. "If so, we'll have to work out who gets to challenge the Gym leaders first every time we reach another city."

Anabel shook her head. "No, I was planning to spend my first year simply traveling, training, and growing my Pokémon before taking on any Leagues."

Ash nodded. "Oh, all right then. That will make things easier, I suppose."

The group fell silent after that and continued on down the cavern towards the direction of Cerulean City. Luckily, without the presence of Zapdos bearing down on them, the Pokémon in the caverns were a lot more docile and didn't even twitch towards them when they passed them by.

"Look there, light!" Anabel cried after fifteen minutes of walking. And indeed, up ahead, light filtered into the cave through a crack in the exterior of Mt. Moon.

They had to stop when they exited the cavern and into the harsh sunlight, squinting their eyes as they adjusted to the light. Having done that they began to walk down the unkempt path that would take them to Cerulean City in three or four days.

* * *

Three days of traveling later, Ash and Anabel were closing in on the outskirts of Cerulean City. They had spent the last three days getting to know each other better and training their Pokémon. It was mostly engaging in small talk with each other and training the basic skills of their Pokémon together, helping the other all the while. As well as taking on any trainer that challenged them along the way.

It had been a very enjoyable three days for the duo. Their Pokémon more than agreed with that sentiment.

Cerulean City was sprawled out before them. It was a truly gigantic city, it positively dwarfed Pewter City. Viridian City wasn't even worth mentioning compared to this.

Ash and Anabel stood on a bluff overlooking the massive city. Lucario stood behind them and Pikachu and Eevee were on their trainers' shoulders. Anabel and Eevee had taken a liking to the arrangement.

Both trainers and their Pokémon took a moment to take in the city. The city was situated right next to the sea, appropriate for a city with a Water-Type Gym. Tall, towering skyscrapers dotted the city, interspaced with great lakes and large parks. Houses lined the outer most ring of the city and faced towards the sea.

Ash had of course been here once before with his mother and one thing hadn't changed at all.

It was a very beautiful city.

"Come on, let's go to the Pokémon Center," Ash said as he shifted his backpack. Anabel nodded at him and they were about to start walking down the bluff.

"Hey, Ash!" A sudden voice halted them. A voice that Ash realized he recognized from somewhere, but somehow he couldn't place a face to that voice.

A boy and a girl came running up to them. The girl waved excitedly at them, the boy stoically followed behind. "It's great to see you again, Ash. How's your journey going?" The girl asked, her demeanor practically screaming bottled-up-excitement.

Suddenly, it clicked. Ash grinned when he recognized who he was talking to. "Ani, Dennis! How have you been? I haven't seen you guys since you left Professor Oak's ranch."

Dennis answered when they came to stop in front of them. "We've been good. Just traveling and training and what not. And what about you and your friend?" He nodded towards Anabel. "Whose she?"

Ash beckoned Anabel closer as he answered. "This is Anabel. I met her while I was traveling through Mt. Moon." He decided to keep his encounter with Zapdos a secret. It wasn't something you should tell to someone you only had a passing friendship with. The only reason why he had told Anabel of the Lati twins was because he thought that it might calm her down a bit more. Besides, it wasn't like they would believe it anyway. "And I've been doing fine. Everything has gone great so far."

Ani nodded, smiling, "Good to hear," she said passionately as she nodded her head. Suddenly, her eyes locked onto Lucario and they widened as she beheld a Pokémon she knew nothing about. The rookie trainer took out her Pokédex and trained it on Lucario. With the push of a button it activated.

 _Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu,_ the Pokédex droned in cold monotone. _By sensing the Aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements._

Ash blinked, surprised that Ani's Pokédex only gave a small part of the information his own had given him about Lucario. Thinking about it for a moment he figured that he had gotten the 'extra information' because Lucario was his Pokémon. After all, it would hardly be fair to other trainers if you could use your Pokédex to learn all about your opponent's moves and abilities before a match even started.

"That's a very interesting Pokémon you have there, Ash," the voice of Dennis broke through his thoughts. "Where did you find him?"

Ash smiled. "I actually met him two years ago while traveling with my mother. We became great friends and he decided to come with me. Lucario was my first Pokémon, actually."

Both Dennis and Ani looked surprised to hear that. "Then why haven't we seen him before now then?" Ani questioned confusedly.

Ash shrugged. "Lucario is rather...reclusive at the best of times. He shies away from people if you haven't earned his trust. And before you ask why I didn't ever talk about him before, he wanted me to keep his presence a secret."

"I see," Dennis said, still looking slightly confused. That disappeared soon, though, and was replaced with an air of challenge. "Anyway, how about a battle, Ash? I've been itching to fight you."

Ash grinned as battle burned in his eyes. "I would love to. Pikachu hasn't had a decent challenge since we set off."

Dennis raised an eyebrow as he plucked a Pokéball from his belt. "So you haven't lost a match yet either," he mused. Then he grinned. "Until now. How about two-on-two?"

Ash nodded and Ani giggled as her two friends looked more and more excited to hold their match. Her gaze turned over to Anabel and she smiled brilliantly. "Hey, while the boys are having their fun, why won't we hold a battle also? I've been itching for a battle for a while now."

Anabel's face lit up with an eager smirk. She nodded at the request. "Sure, let's go over there so we won't interfere we the boys match," she said and pointed a small ways away from the boys, who were itching to do battle.

The girls quickly separated themselves from the boys. Both trainers walked far away from each other until they were at a safe distance from any attack.

"One-on-one?" Anabel suggested as she shifted on the balls of her feet, eager to do battle.

"Sure," Ani nodded and enlarged the Pokéball she had been holding in her hand all along. She threw it into the air and it released her starter, Bulbasaur, in a flash of white light.

Anabel smiled. "Eevee, you're up." Eevee jumped from her trainer's shoulder and leaned low towards the ground, tensing herself for battle.

Ani squealed when she finally noticed Eevee. "It's so cute!" She practically gushed. "To bad I'm going to have to rough it up." The rookie trainer gained a glint in her eyes when she said that.

Anabel shivered. A cold pit had suddenly settled in her stomach. Something was very, very wrong.

"Vine Whip!" Ani snapped out her order. Bulbasaur complied immediately and sent two green vines lashing out at Eevee.

Anabel quickly suppressed the cold feeling in her stomach. "Sand-Attack and then dodge!" She countered. Eevee lashed out towards the ground with her paws and quickly kicked up a heavy veil of dirt. Using the cover to her advantage Eevee evaded the Vine Whip with ease.

Ani wasn't deterred. "Razor Leaf, wide coverage!" Again, Bulbasaur responded with crisp efficiency. Razor sharp leaves appeared from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back and shot toward Eevee's general direction in a huge storm of leaves. If Anabel hadn't know any better she would have believed that Bulbasaur had used Leaf Storm.

"Dig!" Anabel ordered, choosing for a sure-fire way to evade the attack.

The razor-sharp leaves passed through the heavy veil of dirt moments later, but there was no corresponding cry of pain. The veil of dirt lifted moments later to show nothing, except for a hole on the ground.

Ani smirked. "Slam your vines into the ground!" She suddenly snapped out without warning. Bulbasaur did as ordered and smashed its vines into the ground, using the recoil to send it flying high up into the air.

Eevee appeared moments later at Bulbasaur's previous location, erupting up out of the ground, but missing Bulbasaur by a mile.

And leaving her open for a counter attack.

Ani punched a fist forwards. "Energy Ball!" She ordered. Bulbasaur angled its falling form towards Eevee and opened its mouth. A green ball of swirling energy appeared in its maw. With a twist of its head Bulbasaur shot the green ball of energy straight down towards Eevee.

Anabel and Eevee gasped. "Quick, use Shadow Ball!" Anabel commanded. Eevee opened her maw and charged the sphere of dark ghostly energy as quickly as she could, before firing it straight upwards towards the rapidly closing in Energy Ball.

The green and black spheres of energy smashed into each other and immediately started grinding into each other, trying to overpower the other. Then they seemed to mix for a moment, only to detonate in a brilliant explosion a moment later.

Eevee was crushed into the ground by the explosion and Bulbasaur was flung high up into the sky, spinning out of control.

Ani looked up, horrified. If her Pokémon fell from that height it could lead to serious, maybe even life threatening injuries! "Use your vines to attach yourself to a tree!" She shouted in desperation.

Bulbasaur managed to right itself just as gravity once again asserted its dominance. As it fell back towards the ground two of its vines lashed out and wrapped around a branch of a nearby solitary tree. Letting gravity do the rest of the work Bulbasaur swung itself around and landed neatly on its feet in front of the just recovering Eevee.

Too close.

Anabel smirked. "Double Edge!" She shouted. Eevee kicked off and rocketed forwards immediately, a golden glow surrounding her form.

Bulbasaur had no time to react even as Ani shouted for it to dodge. Eevee smashed head first into Bulbasaur, sending it careening back in pain. Eevee grimaced in pain as well, Double Edge's recoil taking its toll on her.

"Vine Whip!"

Eevee also had no time to react either. Two green vines lashed out and smashed into Eevee, leaving two angry red marks behind as they retreated back to Bulbasaur.

Both Bulbasaur and Eevee were panting heavily, the battle already taking its toll on them. The constant attacks had been draining them both and the few that had hit had done a lot of damage.

"That's it, Energy Ball! As strong as you can make it!" Ani shouted.

"Shadow Ball and give it everything you've got!" Anabel countered immediately.

Bulbasaur opened its maw and charged the green sphere of energy within moments. The Grass-Type kept charging it until it was the size of its head, and then shrunk it down to a regular sized Energy Ball, yet it was an order of magnitude more powerful than the ordinary version.

Eevee did something similar. She opened her maw and charged the Shadow Ball, greatly increased in size than normal, before shrinking it down as well, making it even more powerful.

There was a heartbeat of silence as Eevee and Bulbasaur glared at each other over their super charged attacks

And then they fired them.

The green and black spheres surged toward each other and smashed into the other with the force of a wrecking ball. They swirled into each other, trying to overpower their opposite, but neither seemed to be able to make any headway against the other.

Then suddenly and very slowly the shape of the Energy Ball seemed to warp against the force of the Shadow Ball. It warped more and more...

And then it shattered, dispersing into green slivers of energy, allowing Eevee's Shadow Ball to soar unhindered towards Bulbasaur, who was too tired to dodge.

The Shadow Ball slammed into Bulbasaur, exploding violently on contact and flinging the saurian away. Bulbasaur didn't even cry out in pain, the Shadow Ball had so much power behind it that it had knocked Bulbasaur unconscious on contact.

Bulbasaur came to a rolling stop in front of its trainer. The side of its body where the Shadow Ball had originally struck was blackened with soot. Ani sighed and recalled her Pokémon. She nevertheless spoke soft congratulatory words as she did so, still very proud of the battle her Pokémon had participated in.

Ani looked up just in time to see Eevee jumping into the waiting arms of Anabel and licking her trainers face as Anabel congratulated her on a job well done.

Ani approached Anabel, a pout on her lips. "That was a great battle, too bad I lost." Having said that she took out her wallet and retrieved some money. She quickly handed it to Anabel, who stuck it in her pocket.

Anabel allowed Eevee to take her spot on her shoulder again before responding. "It sure was. I hope to battle you again someday." She extended her hand for Ani to shake. "Friends?"

Ani took it without hesitation. "Friends," she confirmed. They smiled at each other.

Then an explosion hard enough to make the ground rumble ruined the moment. Both girls sighed and looked towards the direction the boys and their Pokémon where battling. "Let's go see what the boys are up to. Heaven knows they have probably already destroyed the environment utterly without us to keep them in check," Ani said with a grin.

Anabel snorted and started tracking towards the boys' battle, Ani close on her heels.

* * *

Ash and Dennis stared hard at each other. Both had known each other since childhood, and while they hadn't ever been particularly close they still had held frequent friendly competitions with each other. As always, they were determined to defeat the other.

Both threw their Pokéball up into the air and released their Pokémon.

Pidgeotto appeared in front of Ash. She flapped her wings and squawked threateningly at Dennis.

A Scyther materialized in front of Dennis. It sneered at Pidgeotto as it smashed its sharp, bladed forearms against each other.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Where did you find a Scyther? They are really rare Pokémon and they don't appear anywhere around these parts," he asked curiously.

Dennis shrugged and smiled. "I found this guy wandering around in the Viridian Forest. I've got no idea why it was there, but I'm not looking a gifted Ponyta in the mouth." The trainer's eyes sharpened. "Now, let's get this show on the road." He pointed at Pidgeotto. "Quick Attack!"

Scyther growled in response and rapidly fluttered its short, bug-like wings. The small but powerful movements lifted the Bug-Type off the ground before rocketing forwards incredibly quickly as a white light erupted behind Scyther.

"Gust, then follow-up with Aerial Ace!" Ash snapped out.

Pidgeotto flapped her wings rapidly at the incoming Scyther, kicking up a harsh torrent of wind. Scyther grunted in pain as the howling wind battered its form and halted its forward momentum.

The avian then followed up on Ash's earlier command and disappeared with blinding speed into Aerial Ace. She reappeared moments later with wind blades surrounding her form as she rammed into Scyther's green plated chest.

Big mistake.

Dennis smirked. "Fury Cutter!" He commanded.

Scyther's eyes narrowed with glee as it followed the command eagerly. Its two sharp, bladed forearms were sufficed in a malicious blood-red glow and doubled in size. It brought the blades above its head, paused for a tantalizing second, and then slashed them down brutally at Pidgeotto.

Right towards the joints connecting her wings to her body.

Pidgeotto's eyes widened as she realized where Scyther was aiming its attack. Reacting on instinct she slammed her sharp talons into Scyther's chest and pushed of, giving a hard flap with both her wings to speed up her dodge as much as possible.

Scyther's Fury Cutter enhanced blades passed mere inches from their intended target, leaving only two very shallow scratches over her joints.

The attack had been evaded, barely.

But Pidgeotto couldn't evade the follow-up attack.

"Razor Wind!" Dennis followed up.

Scyther screeched in reply and flapped its short, cream colored wings at Pidgeotto, releasing a burst of cutting wind at the avian. Pidgeotto had no time to react as the sharp winds smashed into her and cut open thousand miniscule cuts on her body.

Pidgeotto careened back, screeching in pain. She fought through the pain and flapped her wings, managing to right herself and somehow managing to keep herself in the air.

"False Swipe!" Dennis continued on ruthlessly.

Scyther grunted and flashed forwards blazingly quickly with one of its blades reared back and shining with white light.

"Double Team into Aerial Ace!" Ash countered suddenly.

Pidgeotto's form blurred and then split up in multiple copies. Scyther's False Swipe went through a fake that had taken the place of the original. Before Scyther had even been able to fully process this Pidgeotto smashed into Scyther's back with an Aerial Ace.

Scyther went stumbling forwards, but recovered far faster than anyone would have expected, and twisted around rapidly. The flat side of one of its blades smacked into Pidgeotto, knocking her to the ground.

Before she was able to recover Scyther raised one of its clawed feet and stomped Pidgeotto in the back, pinning her to the ground. Pidgeotto wheezed as Scyther applied more and more pressure.

Scyther blinked in surprise when Ash recalled Pidgeotto. He whispered his thanks to his friend before glaring at Scyther with pure fury. The Pokémon had taken it too far. It needed to be taken out with extreme prejudice, immediately.

Ash didn't see it, but Lucario, who had been watching the entire match from behind his student, raised a brow in surprise at his student's aggravation.

"Pikachu," Ash growled quietly. Scyther was a part Flying-Type, so Pikachu should be able to take it out easily. Besides, from what he had seen Pikachu had the edge in the speed department and Scyther was tired from its match with Pidgeotto. This match was his.

Pikachu bared his fangs at Scyther before leaping of off Ash's shoulder. Lightning crackled along his fur and the smell of ozone filled the clearing as Pikachu glared at Scyther in fury.

"Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail!" Ash commanded rapidly.

Both Scyther's and Dennis' eyes widened, but before they could react Pikachu had already slammed into Scyther's chest. Pikachu clung to the Bug-Types armored chest and used Thunderbolt at point-blank range a second later.

Scyther screeched in pain and fell to its knees, but Pikachu wasn't done yet, though. The little yellow critter heaved and jumped off Scyther's chest straight up in the air as his tail glowed a solid silver, hardening into steel. The Electric-Type did a frontal flip and came down tail first on Scyther.

The iron-hard tail smashed into Scyther's temple with an audible crack. Scyther's head snapped to the side as its eyes went blank. The Bug-type fell down to the side, the blow having knocked it unconscious.

Dennis recalled it a moment later. He shook his head and took out another Pokéball. Enlarging it with the push of a button he smirked at Ash. "Well, Ash. I see that you have a brutal side as well. Good. That makes this all the more fun." His smirk widened as he threw his Pokéball in the air. "Come on out, Charmeleon!"

Ash's eyes widened as the blood-red form of Charmeleon materialized in Scyther's place. The evolved Fire-Type snorted flame and whipped its tail around as it glared at Pikachu, a challenge in its eyes.

"Your starter evolved already?" Ash exclaimed, no small amount of shock in his voice.

"Of course. I had to work him to the bone to do so, but it was worth it. Charmeleon swats aside anything we encounter," Dennis said, smirking.

Charmeleon snorted in agreement. The Fire-Type took a step forwards and bared his long and sharp teeth proudly, clearly impatient to do battle. Dennis wasn't going to wait either.

"Flamethrower!" Dennis snapped, pointing at Pikachu.

Charmeleon opened his maw and cocked his neck and head back. And then he snapped them forwards and spewed out a torrent of white-hot flames straight at Pikachu.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash countered quickly.

Pikachu's cheek pouches sparked as he gathered the necessary electricity. He sprang forwards and with a grunt he launched an arc of electricity at the incoming torrent of flame.

The flames and electricity met midway and for a moment seemed to mix as Charmeleon and Pikachu continued streaming in their attacks, but only for a moment. The attacks exploded violently a moment later, hard enough to throw both Pokémon back and to shake the ground from the sheer force.

"Quick Attack!" Ash ordered as he stood his ground. He wasn't going to let up, not even for a moment.

Pikachu landed on all fours and immediately rocketed forwards as he used Quick Attack. He sped through the still lingering smoke from the explosion and rammed into Charmeleon's chest, who hadn't been able to see the rodent coming at all.

Pikachu quickly kicked off Charmeleon's chest to give himself some distance from the Fire-Type. He had seen what happened when you stuck around for too long during the match between Pidgeotto and Scyther. Dennis likes to take the attacks from his opponents and then strike as hard as possible, making it impossible for the opponent to dodge and securing victory.

"Metal Claw!" Dennis commanded urgently.

Charmeleon growled as his claws shone a deep silver glow and lengthened in size. Pausing for nary a second the Flame Pokémon rushed forwards, claws reared back to do some serious damage.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered when Charmeleon came close enough, to close to dodge.

Dennis smirked. "Now!"

Charmeleon came to a halt and immediately stuck his claws into the ground mere moments before Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck and enveloped him, but somehow it didn't do any damage!

"What!" both Ash and Pikachu exclaimed, shocked. Then they noticed that Charmeleon had sunk his steel hardened claws into the ground.

They immediately realized what had happened. Charmeleon had used his Metal Claw's to guide Pikachu's Thunderbolt harmlessly back into the ground. Pikachu growled, upset at how easily his attack had been countered.

Dennis laughed. "Didn't expect that did you?" He pointed at Pikachu. "Dragon Rage!"

Charmeleon took a deep breath through his nostrils as a blue/purple glow emanated from his abdomen. He then spit out a raging torrent of blue/purple flames that took the shape of a roaring dragon at Pikachu.

"Dodge it, then use Thunderbolt!" Ash countered, and silently added via his Aura. _Follow behind the Thunderbolt with Volt Tackle, keep out of sight until the last moment._

Dennis snorted. "Haven't you learned from the first time? Electric-Type attacks are useless against my Pokémon. Charmeleon, you know what to do," he said rather smugly.

Charmeleon nodded and his eyes narrowed as he focused. The lizard's claws shone with silver light and lengthened before they sunk back into the ground, ready to redirect Pikachu's attack.

Which is exactly what happened. The Thunderbolt struck Charmeleon and was promptly redirected into the ground. The Fire-Type yanked his claws back out of the ground with a grunt and turned his eyes back over to Pikachu...

Only to see a yellow comet rocketing towards him!

Charmeleon and Dennis only had the time to widen their eyes before Pikachu smashed head first with his Volt Tackle into the lizard's chest. The sheer force behind the blow picked Charmeleon up and rocketed him into a tree, Pikachu still firmly pinned against his chest and the electricity of Volt Tackle crackling harshly across and into his body.

"Charmeleon!" Dennis cried out, concerned.

"Charrrr," the lizard whined piteously before falling silent, the single incredible blow simply being too much for it to take.

Dennis sighed and recalled Charmeleon. He frowned at Charmeleon's Pokéball. They had been training incredibly hard, but it was evidently not enough. Ash and Pikachu had outclassed them despite all their hard work.

"That was a nice battle, Dennis," Ash suddenly commented. Pikachu was already back on his shoulder. He grinned. "That was the hardest battle I've ever had. Your tactics were awesome and that trick where you redirected Pikachu's Thunderbolt was incredible."

"Thanks, I guess," Dennis murmured rather downtrodden. "It still wasn't enough to beat you, though." He sighed before taking out some money and handing Ash his spoils.

Ash pocketed the money and gave Dennis a friendly grin. "No, but you came close. I want to battle you again soon. And you better give me an even greater challenge then before!"

Dennis smiled back. Ash's enthusiasm was infectious. He swore to himself that he would beat Ash the next time they battled. His and Ash's attention were drawn away from each other and to their female companions as they approached them.

Ani whistled as she scanned the ruined impromptu battlefield. "Damn," she said. "You two went all out, didn't you?"

Anabel snorted. "I knew this would happen. Ash doesn't know the meaning of holding back." Both girls laughed. The boys looked at them weirdly.

Dennis shook his head and gave Ani a sour look. "You're one to talk," he hissed. "You are the one who always takes things too far in matches, not me."

Ash laughed while Pikachu rolled his eyes. "I don't remember either of you ever being this... aggressive," Ash mused.

Both Dennis and Ani smiled. "Well," Ani began with a shit eating grin. "Learning how to enjoy Pokémon battles will do that to you, I suppose." She cocked her head curiously at Ash as she asked a question. "Now that we're talking about Pokémon battles, are you going to challenge the Cerulean City Gym?"

Ash nodded. "Of course. I'm just going to heal up my Pokémon at the Center and then I'll go to the Cerulean City Gym." He gave her a curious look. "Why do you want to know? Where you planning on challenging the Gym today as well?"

Dennis answered in Ani's place, shaking his head. "No. We were actually planning to train a couple of days before going to Gym. And seeing how we were both defeated by you and Anabel, well..." He shrugged. "It'll probably be better if we got in a bit more training first."

Ash nodded again. "Good thinking," he commented before looking up at the sun, checking the time. "Well, guys. It was great seeing you again, but a Badge is waiting for me." The rookie trainer flashed both his childhood friends a grin. "If we don't run into you guys again I'll see you at the League. I'm already looking forwards to battling you in an official setting."

"Same here, Ash," Ani said, smiling brightly. Dennis nodded in agreement.

Both Ash and Anabel said their goodbyes and quickly left for Cerulean City with their starters on their shoulders and Lucario following loyally behind them.

* * *

It took them a while to find the Pokémon Center. The city was so huge that it was nearly impossible to find the rather tiny red building. Eventually, Ash simply used his Aura sight to guide them to it.

Once there they reserved two rooms for themselves and had their Pokémon healed from all their battle damage. While Anabel took a much-needed and welcome shower, Ash quickly discussed potential battle strategies with his Pokémon.

After Ash and his Pokémon had finished their discussion the trainer quickly took his own shower, happy to get all the accumulated grime off his body. The group quickly set out towards the Cerulean City Gym.

Just like in Pewter it only took a few minutes to get to the Gym. Unlike in Pewter, though, the Cerulean City Gym was a much more decorated building. It was colorful and cheerily decorated with a myriad of colors. A giant depiction of a Dewgong displayed on it was bolted to the roof of the building for all to see.

"This is more like it," Pikachu commented, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the building. "Much more fitting for a Gym I'd say." Lucario nodded in silent agreement.

"Quite," Ash agreed with a nod.

Anabel shot Ash a curious look. She couldn't understand any Pokémon, but her own so she didn't know what Pikachu and he had been talking about. "What are you guys talking about?"

"That the Gym looks like you would expect it to be, unlike in Pewter City," Ash answered. Anabel gave him a confused look.

"How come?" The maiden questioned. She had never seen the Pewter City Gym for herself.

"The Pewter City Gym was simply depicted as a badly hewn out rock," Ash remarked sourly. "In other words: utterly unimaginative."

Anabel shrugged. "So? What had you expected anyway? A flower?"

Pikachu snickered as Anabel repeated what he had said to Ash the first time he had remarked on the Pewter City Gym.

Ash sighed. "It doesn't matter," he said. The rookie trainer eagerly walked forwards and entered the Gym, pushing through the double doors. The rest followed close behind him. "It's time to earn me a Badge!"

"Then you'll have to battle me to earn it," a voice announced the moment the doors slammed shut behind the group. Ash's eyes sought out the voice and widened when he saw who it was.

"Misty!" he cried out in surprised delight.

Said Water-Type specialist's eyes widened when she spotted him in turn. She was standing in front of the pool that acted as the Gym's battlefield. A megawatt smile appeared on her face as she greeted her old friend. "Ash, it's good to see you again! It's been almost two years since we last saw each other. Come here for a Badge, have you?"

Ash nodded, still smiling brightly. "Of course. It's indeed been a while hasn't it? How are your sisters?"

Misty groaned. "They're still annoying as ever," she said sourly, before brightening up. "Luckily, they aren't the Gym leaders anymore. I took over about a year ago. My sisters now give shows every week for a living."

Ash pouted. "I still find it very unfair that you were allowed to become a trainer three years earlier than me."

Misty laughed, a grin forming on her face. "Being a Gym brat has its advantages," she said smugly.

Anabel suddenly cut in. "I'm a bit lost here, you two know each other?"

Ash nodded, thinking back to how they had first met. "Yup. I met Misty and her sisters two years ago when I visited the city with my mother, a couple months before I met Lucario. We ran into one another when my mother and I actually visited one of Misty's sisters' shows."

Misty smiled in remembrance. "I saw him in the crowd just before the show started, and I was surprised to see that he didn't look bored at all. Young boys like him usually have to be dragged to my sisters shows by their parents. But Ash actually looked excited, and that peaked my interest."

"She sought me out after the show," Ash continued, thinking about the little girl who had approached him with a blinding smile. "We quickly hit it off and became great friends."

"Thank god I did that," Misty muttered to herself. She immediately noted the confused expression on Anabel's face at her remark and hurried to explain. "Ash and his mother stayed after the show. Delia talked with my sisters while Ash and I were playing near the pool. I soon grew tired and wandered off and accidentally got to close to my sisters Gyarados," she shuddered at the memories. "In my sleep addled mind I didn't recognize the danger. I had crawled into Gyarados' mouth. If Ash hadn't pulled me out in time I might have been swallowed."

Anabel looked pale at the story. Pikachu's fur was bristling in primordial fear. Lucario looked at Misty with sympathy. Both Misty and Ash looked very uncomfortable just remembering that particular occurrence.

Misty shook her head in an effort to banish the memories. "Needless to say it wasn't for a long time after that I was able to even look at a Gyarados, let alone get close to one."

Ash's eyes turned toward the Pokéballs clipped to Misty's belt. He raised an eyebrow at her. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"Well, Ash," Misty's voice broke through his thoughts. "You didn't come here to remember the past, did you?" she grinned at him. "You came here for a battle."

Ash nodded, turning serious. However, his serious expression melted away almost immediately, leaving a big grin behind. "Yup, let's get this show on the road!"

Misty smirked and directed Ash to the competitor's box on one side of the pool. She herself quickly took her spot on the other end of the immense body of water. Meanwhile, Anabel, with Eevee on her shoulder, took a place on a bench behind Ash. Lucario was, as always, beside Ash, and Pikachu reclined on his spot on Ash's own shoulder.

The Cerulean City Gym leader unclipped a Pokéball and started tossing it nonchalantly up and down in the air. "The rules are simple. This will be a two-on-two match. We're both allowed to substitute. The match will be over when one side's Pokémon are unable to continue." She firmly caught her Pokéball and held out towards Ash. "Ready?"

Ash nodded with hard eyes. "Bring it."

Misty smiled and released her Pokémon. "Show him the power of Water Pokémon! I chose you, Seaking!"

The large orange fish Pokémon with billowing caudal and pectoral fins, all of which are white specked with black, while its dorsal fin is pure white and rigid emerged in the waters of the pool. It was surprisingly silent and watched Ash with intelligent eyes.

"Pikachu," Ash announced.

The yellow rodent grinned and leaped from Ash's shoulder, landing on one of the narrow stripes of land that dotted the Gym pool. With sparking cheeks he smirked at the Seaking who, for some reason, didn't look worried at all.

Suddenly, there was a change in the air, and the battle began.

"Water Pulse!" Misty snapped, going immediately on the offensive.

Seaking complied and opened its deep pink mouth wide open. Water coalesced in front of it in the form of a pulsing sphere of water. With nary a pause the Water-Type fired it directly at Pikachu with phenomenal speed.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash countered.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked violently as he gathered the necessary electricity for the attack. With a growl he launched the golden arc of electricity straight at the incoming attack.

The Water Pulse managed to carve a way through the Thunderbolt, sending weak bolts of electricity raining everywhere, but detonated long before the attack could reach Pikachu.

"Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu rocketed forwards with incredible speed, so fast in fact that he was actually capable of running straight over the water.

"Horn Attack!" Misty snapped.

Seaking seemed to smirk and sped forwards, cutting through the water like hot knife through butter. Its long horn burned bright white and tripled in length as the Pokémon aimed it straight towards the incoming Pikachu.

Ash smirked. "Dodge!" he commanded at the very last possible moment. Pikachu flipped over Seaking just as its horn was about to gore him. "Iron Tail!" he followed up immediately. Pikachu's tail glowed white as he continued his spin and slammed his tail into Seaking's back with sickening force.

Seaking screeched in pain and was knocked under the water, while Pikachu used his tail to push of, allowing him to land safely on another narrow strip of land. The Water-Type emerged from the water moments later, glaring fiercely at Pikachu as a small trail of blood flowed from its back.

"Thunderbolt into the water!" Ash continued, seizing the initiative.

Pikachu smirked and bounded up to the edge of the narrow strip of land he stood on. The Electric-Type sunk one of his paws into the water and smirked at Seaking, who still looked oddly calm.

One second, everything was normal, the next, the entire pool blazed yellow as Pikachu pumped an enormous amount of electricity into the water, electrocuting every bit of the battlefield. There was no safe-haven for Seaking.

Pikachu panted when he withdrew his paw from the water. It had taken a lot more energy to electrocute the entire pool, but it was worth it. He looked up, expecting to see the unconscious form of Seaking, only to gasp in shock and dismay.

Seaking looked perfectly fine. It had taken no damage from his attack! The Pokémon looked down right amused.

Ash gazed stupidly at the Water-Type. How?

Misty smirked and laughed a short laugh. "Shocked aren't you? Impossible, you might be thinking, but it isn't so. My Seaking has the ability Lightningrod!" she announced grandly. And indeed, Seaking's horn crackled with an enormous amount of electricity, showing that Misty was telling the truth. "Electric-Type attacks are useless!"

Pikachu's eye twitched and his teeth clenched. What was it today with all the opponents that could counter his attacks so easily? Arceus must be having fun at his expense, he mused.

Ash gritted his teeth and glared at the smug Water-Type Gym leader. "Then we'll simply have to change things up," he decided. "Pikachu, return."

Everyone looked surprised at that move. Pikachu dutifully followed the command and used a Quick Attack to return to Ash's side, once again taking his spot on his trainers shoulder.

Ash unclipped a Pokéball and released Pidgeotto high above the pools water. The Flying-Type screeched as she finished materializing and glared down at the still form of Seaking.

"Water Gun!" Misty ordered as soon as Pidgeotto had finished materializing. She smirked. "And give it the present you got from Pikachu!"

Ash's and Pidgeotto's eyes widened as the Seaking blasted a jet of highly compressed water at Pidgeotto, followed by a lance of Pikachu's most potent electricity from its horn.

"Dodge!" Ash shouted. If those attacks hit then it would be game over for Pidgeotto.

Luckily, Pidgeotto proved herself a wily avian by evading both the blast of water and the lance of electricity with time to spare.

Seeing that its attack had missed Seaking launched into a rapid fire attack, spitting multiple jets of water up into the air towards Pidgeotto, forcing that Flying-Type to dance erratically through the air to evade the immense amount of attacks screaming for her.

The battle continued like this for a while. Seaking being unable to strike the incredibly nimble Flying-Type while Pidgeotto stayed high up in the air in order to give herself the room needed to dodge the constants barrage of attacks.

As time went on Seaking grew more and more tired, the constant attacks it had been launching draining its strength and stamina. Its attacks grew less focused and less powerful. And finally, one attack went incredibly wide, leaving Seaking open for a counter attack.

Which Ash ruthlessly exploited.

"Aerial Ace!" he ordered, pointing at the panting Seaking.

Pidgeotto screeched in reply and dive bombed towards the Water-Type. Her speed tripled as the wind blades of Aerial Ace appeared around her form and she suddenly disappeared. The next thing anyone knew there was a splash in front of Seaking.

Ash's eyes widened in panic. Had Pidgeotto flown straight into the w-

Seaking exploded up out of the water, Pidgeotto's sharp beak imbedded into the soft tissue of its underside. Wind blades whipped around her form and Ash nearly facepalmed when he realized that with the incredible speed of Aerial Ace Pidgeotto would be able to practically fly through the water, cutting through it like it wasn't even there.

Pidgeotto shot up high in the air, pushing Seaking up with her. Then she broke off, allowing Seaking to hover in the air for a tantalizing second before it was pulled back down towards the water...

Until Pidgeotto bashed into the Water-Type with another Aerial Ace, knocking it to the side. And then bashed into from the other side with another Aerial Ace. And then from below, and then from the left, and then from the right.

Ash watched with awe while Misty looked on with horror as Pidgeotto bashed Seaking up, down, and side to side like the Pokémon was the ball in a Ping-Pong match, doing incredible amount of damage in almost no time.

Pidgeotto soon took pity, however, and allowed the now unconscious Water-Type to fall back into the water. Before it even fell even halfway back down, however, Misty returned it.

The Water-Type Gym leader had a thunderous scowl on her face. She didn't say anything as she pulled out her second Pokéball and threw it into the air, releasing her second Pokémon.

A Dewgong appeared in the water and slapped its white fins together playfully. It regarded Ash and Pikachu with wide and happy eyes. Ash, despite himself, was relieved to see that he wasn't going to be facing a Gyarados. That would have been bad, even with the incredible advantage he would have had with Pikachu. Gyarados were simply that powerful.

"Ice Beam!" the enraged Gym leader commanded. "Follow with Icy Wind, wide coverage!"

The Sea lion-like Pokémon reacted quite fast. It opened its mouth and concentrated. An icy blue sphere of energy formed in seconds. Dewgong reared back before releasing the icy blue zigzagging beam of Ice Beam straight towards Pidgeotto. Having done that, Dewgong took a deep breath and reared back once more before spitting out a haze of ice-cold wind with sparkling blue snow in it, freezing the entire pool in front of it.

Pidgeotto barrel rolled out of the way of the Ice Beam, but couldn't avoid the Icy Wind. Pidgeotto shivered as the freezing wind washed over her, leaving glimmering icicles behind on her feathers, weighing her down.

"Aurora Beam!" Misty followed up, seeing the opportunity.

Dewgong angled the small horn on its head towards Pidgeotto as a multicolored glow covered it. The Water-Type closed its eyes as it concentrated. A moment later a lance of multicolored energy speared towards Pidgeotto at speeds to now weighed down Pokémon could not dodge.

The lance struck Pidgeotto and detonated on contact, knocking Pidgeotto from the sky. She fell and landed heavily on the ice now covering the pool.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out as he eyed her form with sympathy.

Pidgeotto once again proved her remarkable resistance and endurance by defiantly scrambling back on her talons. She was panting heavily and her body was wracked with tremors of pain, but she was determined to prove that it would take a lot more than that to take her down.

Ash clenched his fist. "Gust!" he snapped.

Pidgeotto spread her wings as far as they could and flapped them repeatedly in Dewgong's direction, kicking up harsh torrent of wind that howled over the icy landscape.

Dewgong simply submerged itself to evade the attack. It emerged again moments later after the attack had dissipated and smiled mockingly at the panting avian.

"Wrap this up with Aqua Jet!" Misty commanded, punching a fist forward.

Dewgong seemed to smile as the water around it obeyed its command and streamed up to cover it in a blob of water, before rocketing forwards at incredible speed, leaving a stream of water behind itself as it moved.

"Dodge!" Ash shouted desperately.

Pidgeotto tried to move, but her body was simply too tired and pained to obey her commands. Dewgong smashed head first into her, driving its horn into her body and picking her up. Pidgeotto was slammed into side of the pool with an audible crack, knocking her unconscious.

Ash returned her immediately and turned his head to glare at Water/Ice-Type who had crushed his Pokémon so ruthlessly. "Pikachu," he growled quietly. "Get out there... and break that Dewgong."

Pikachu nodded, a cold look to his eyes, and jumped from Ash's shoulder, landing on another narrow strip of land.

"Hail!" Misty snapped, a smirk playing on her lips.

Dewgong called out a haunting cry and angled its head towards the roof of the building. In response white, hazy hail clouds suddenly appeared and spread to cover the entirety of pool.

Pikachu grimaced in pain as small stone sized hail particles started buffeting him immediately, knocking him around. He growled and hardened his stance, holding his ground against the relentless assault.

"Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, pointing towards Dewgong.

Pikachu complied and shot towards Dewgong, white light trailing behind him as he ran over the ice covering nearly half of the pool.

"Ice Shard!" Misty commanded, sweeping her hand to the side.

Dewgong gave another haunting cry and opened its mouth. Ice accumulated on front of it, forming a baseball sized shard of ice in front of its mouth. The Water-Type reared back before firing the attack straight towards Pikachu.

"Jump!" Ash called out as the attack soared towards his starter.

Pikachu immediately caught onto Ash's plan and sought to follow it to the letter. He jumped, landing on the Ice Shard and used it as a springboard to gain even more air. He soared high up in the sky and angled his falling form down towards Dewgong, white light from his Quick Attack still trailing behind him and adding to his speed.

"Now I've got you!" Misty smirked. She pointed towards the falling form of Pikachu. "End this with Aurora Beam!"

Dewgong angled its horn towards Pikachu and charged the Ice-Type attack in less than a second. The Water-Type paused, probably savoring the victory it was about to obtain, and then fired the lance of multicolored energy straight up towards Pikachu.

"Spin around it!" Ash ordered, already having the final move planned out.

Pikachu spun in midair, displacing himself just enough that the Aurora Beam merely managed to graze him. Pikachu grimaced in pain, but honed his attention on the shocked looking Dewgong, who had no hope of dodging anymore. He smirked devilishly as he rammed into Dewgong, submerging them both under water.

"Thunder!" Ash roared out the attack Pikachu had just managed to learn the day before.

"What!" Misty gasped, horrified. "No!"

The pool suddenly blazed yellow as blast and bolts of lightning erupted out of the water, converging on each other and becoming even more powerful. Lightning crackled and boomed. Thunderclaps rolled through the building and the smell of ozone became overpowering. Every single person in the building looked at the scene with awe.

And then without warning, it suddenly stopped.

Ash and Misty looked intently at the bubbling water, searching for their Pokémon to no avail. Then, Dewgong appeared, floating belly up in the water, knocked unconscious and its form smoking from the Thunder.

Misty sighed dispassionately and recalled the Water-Type moments later. She looked sad for a moment before shaking her head and stepping away from her box. She walked around the pool and approached Ash.

Meanwhile, Ash had Pikachu once again on his shoulder and was congratulating him on a job well done. Then his eyes were drawn to the approaching form of Misty. He immediately noted her expression and smiled. She didn't look all that upset at losing.

"Good job," Misty said with a smile. She reached into her pocket and retrieved the Cascade Badge. She held out the teardrop shaped Badge to Ash, who took it gratefully.

Ash studied it for a moment before pinning it to the inside of his jacket, right next to the Boulder Badge. He looked up and smiled at Misty. "That was an incredible battle, Misty. The best I ever had."

Misty chuckled and winked at Ash. "Same here Ash."

"That was incredible!" Anabel's voice suddenly made itself known, coming just from besides them. The purple-haired girls eyes where glittering. "I haven't seen a battle that riveting since I watched the Indigo League last year!"

"Thank you," both Ash and Misty said at same time. They looked at each other, blinking in surprise, before laughing.

Lucario finally spoke up as well as he walked up to stand besides Ash. _Nice battle Ash. I haven't seen you so focused in quite a while._

Ash smiled, pleased at the compliment. Then he noticed that Misty was gaping at Lucario. Ash rolled his eyes. Misty was aware of Lucario. He had told her about him in the many letters they had shared, but he hadn't informed her of Lucario's ability to speak Human tongue. That was Lucario's secret and not his to share. Besides, the stupefied expression on her face was absolutely priceless! He wouldn't have spoiled this surprise for anything in the world!

Lucario had to twitch at the look Misty was shooting him. It wasn't that shocking that he could talk like a Human, was it? Surely there were other Pokémon out there who could do it.

This was really, really starting to piss him of. Big time.

"Ash," Misty said as she raised a hand to rub her temple. "I think we overdid our match a bit. I could just swear that I heard Lucario talk."

"Oh, no. He actually did talk," Ash assured with an amused smile on his face. "Lucario can project his mental voice outward using his Aura. He calls it his Aura Voice."

Misty slowly pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Nothing is ever nice and simple around you, Ash," she sighed and shook her head. "I suppose you like it that way."

Ash nodded with a shit eating grin. "Exactly."

Misty smiled and held out her hand for Ash to take, who took it firmly. "Ash, it was a treat seeing you again. Go out there and make a name for yourself. I can't wait to see you compete in the Indigo league."

Ash let go and hugged the Water-Type trainer. Misty looked shocked for a moment before hugging Ash back. They let go of each other after a minute of simply holding the other.

"See you soon, Misty," Ash said as he and his friends turned to leave. "I'll be back when I'm famous. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Misty called out after them as they left the building. She smiled to herself. "Good luck Ash," the water maiden whispered, sending out her silent prayers.

* * *

A/N: And there goes chapter three. I hope it was as good as you guys imagined it would be.


	4. Chapter 3: Expanding Your Team

**Ash Ketchum: Being More.**

 **Expanding Your Team.**

Dark clouds covered the sky as it rained down by the bucket loads. Thunder boomed and crackled as Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, Anabel and Lucario beside him hurried down the dirt road towards the Pokémon Center they had managed to find via Lucario's Aura sight.

At the moment they were somewhere in between Cerulean City and Vermilion City. They had left Cerulean City three days ago and had taken a more sedate pace than usual towards their destination, wanting to experience the charms of nature some more, something they were regretting right about now. If they had hurried they would have been somewhere dry by this point.

Anabel shivered in her jacket as she ran down the slippery and muddy road. "This sucks," she complained.

Ash, who was running right beside her, shrugged. "There's nothing to be done about it now. We just need to hurry."

Pikachu seemed to be enjoying it, tough. The electric rodent looked up at the sky and watched the thunder curiously, remembering how Zapdos had commanded a real lighting strike down at them. The mere memory of that act still brought shivers of awe down his spine. Looking back on it he could scarcely believe that he had really managed to deflect that attack.

Lucario was his usual unflappable self as he followed close behind Ash and Anabel. The Aura Pokémon's eyes narrowed as he noticed something alarming. _I can sense an Aura presence up ahead... it's dwindling._ His eyes widened in shocked realization. _It's dying!_

 _ASH!_ Lucario called out worriedly with his Aura Voice. _There's a waning Aura presence up ahead! Someone's dying!_

Ash's, Anabel's and Pikachu's eyes widened in alarm. Ash quickly sharpened his own Aura and focused his attention up ahead, and just like his mentor had said there was a small waning Aura presence. It was situated on a large rock and the body of the owner of the waning Aura presence had huddled up in a tight ball, trying to protect itself from the freezing cold bite of the wind and the harsh rain.

Without any prompting the group tripled their speed, rushing towards the Pokémon who was obviously in need of assistance.

They arrived moments later at the rock holding the Aura presence and what they saw made them gasp. Right on top of the huge and imposing rock sat a small huddled up red/orange form. A small tail with a small dwindling flame at its tip swung sluggishly behind it.

Ash immediately recognized the Pokémon. It was hard to mistake the form of the most famous starter Pokémon of Kanto: a Charmander. A Charmander that looked to be on the verge of dying. Its form was wracked with tremors of cold and pain. Scratches covered its body and the flame on the tip of its tail looked like it was about to go out.

He knew what that meant. Ash had studied up on many Pokémon with Lucario guiding him. The Aura trainee knew perfectly well that once the tail flame of one of the Charmander line went out... the Pokémon would die instantly.

Ash acted immediately and jumped up onto the rock with an Aura enhanced leap. The Charmander looked up at him, startled. Ash scooped the small Pokémon up, causing the Charmander to object.

"No, leave me here," the Fire-Type whispered and coughed. "My trainer will come back for me soon."

"You will die if we leave you here. I won't let that happen," Ash hissed right back. He jumped back down from the rock and immediately started running into the direction of the Pokémon Center, his friends hot on his heels.

Charmander was either to tired or delirious from the cold as he either ignore Ash's ability to understand him or he simply did not notice it. "No, take me back. Damion will come back for me," the lizard-like Pokémon said pleadingly. Ash ignored him.

The group continued running down the path, going as fast as they could without falling down in the slippery mud. The entire way Ash shot concerned glances to the Pokémon he was holding to his chest. Charmander had stilled, his body had gone completely silent. There weren't even any tremors of cold anymore. If Ash didn't feel the hot breath of the Fire-Type against his chest he would have thought that he was holding a corpse.

Luckily the group arrived at the small and out of the way Pokémon Center minutes later. The building looked odd for a Pokémon Center. It just looked like a normal house with a gigantic P bolted to its roof. The moment they entered Ash immediately ran up to the counter, completely ignoring the people who were already waiting in front of him in an orderly line. "Nurse Joy! We found this Charmander on the way towards the Pokémon Center! It needs help immediately!"

Nurse Joy had already plucked Charmander from Ash's arms before he had even finished speaking. "Chansey!" she called out as she ran with the Fire-Type towards the back. The door behind the counter leading deeper in towards the bowels of the building opened, a Chansey standing in the opening, allowing Nurse Joy to rush right through towards the O.R. unimpeded.

Ash sighed and stepped back from the counter allowing the other trainers access. They also looked towards the door which Nurse Joy had just passed through, concern playing on their features, fearing for the live of the little Fire-Type. An attending stepped up towards the counter, taking Nurse Joy's spot. The trainers quickly remembered the needs of their own Pokémon and started depositing their Pokéballs to the attending.

"I hope Charmander pulls through," Anabel said, getting Ash's attention. "He looked to be in a very bad shape."

Lucario patted Anabel on the shoulder in a comforting manner as he smiled at her. _You don't need to worry,_ the Aura Pokémon said. _Fire-Types are a hardy bunch. Charmander will pull through, I'm sure of it._

Pikachu frowned thoughtfully from Ash's shoulder. A spark appeared in the Electric-Types eyes as he remembered something. "What had Charmander said again? That his trainer would come back for him, that was what he had said, wasn't it?" Pikachu's frown deepened as he continued on with his statement. "Charmander looked like he had been there for days, and if his trainer hadn't even come for him in such bad weather as this..."

"His trainer had abandoned him there," Ash whispered, horrified.

Lucario's eyes sharpened, anger boiling just beneath his calm visage. While Sir Aaron hadn't actually betrayed him, he had become intimately familiar with the feeling of betrayal. He knew how it felt to be betrayed by someone you trusted, and it looked like Charmander had been betrayed for real. The Aura Pokémon had a sinking feeling in his gut that Charmander would have mental scars from this for the rest of his life.

The group continued to watch towards the double doors Charmander had disappeared behind, but quickly realized just standing there wasn't going to do anything. They quickly moved towards one of the white tables situated right next to a window. A fire raged in the center of the room, comfortably warming up the surprisingly cozy looking Pokémon Center.

"What kind of scum would just leave a Pokémon behind in the middle of nowhere," Ash spat as he sat down, anger on display for everyone to see.

Anabel frowned as she took a seat across from him. She looked like she had bitten into something really bitter. "The worst kind. I have run into those kind of trainers before. People who only want the strongest of Pokémon and abandon the ones that aren't up to their standard."

"That's nonsense," Ash continued, anger still shimmering across his features. "Any Pokémon can be strong if you train it and know how to use it in battle."

Anabel sighed. "I know, but other people don't see it that way. They just want a quick fix in strength and don't 'waste time' with training their Pokémon. They are the laziest and the lowest form of trainers out there."

Ash was about to respond, but his sharp hearing managed to pick something out in the background noise of the Pokémon Center. Something that pissed him off and caused him to stand up from his chair in rage.

A few tables further sat a group of young trainers. In front of them on the table laid a pile of Pokéballs. Not a very surprising sight, no, what drew Ash's attention to them was not their looks, but what they were talking about.

"...And then I said I would come back for it!" a loud voice with a strange accent bragged. The owner of the voice was a blue-haired boy. A group of various different trainers sat around him. From the way their attention was all on the blue-haired trainer, and how they differed to him, he seemed to be their leader.

"Do you think it's still there?" one of the trainers asked curiously. "In this kind of weather that might even be a death sentence for a Fire-Type."

"That stupid Charmander? If so, then good riddance." The blue-haired boy, who had to be the Damion Charmander had been going on about, smirked. "The world would be a better place without that weakl-ACK!"

Damion's boasts got cut of when Ash appeared behind him and grabbed him by the hair. He roughly hoisted the struggling trainer out of his chair and twisted him around so that Ash could lock his furious eyes with him. The Aura trainee didn't say anything. He just reared back his other fist, paused to sneer for one last moment at the disgusting figure in his grasp, before punching him with an Aura enhanced blow to stomach.

Damion contorted around the blow. His eyes bugged out and his mouth opened wide in a wordless scream of pain. Ash let go of the spluttering and now gasping for breath trainer and allowed him to collapse to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

The other trainers reacted immediately as their leader was manhandled in front of them. They grabbed a Pokéball each and were about to release their Pokémon, but before they could their Pokéballs were suddenly snatched from their hands.

Looking up, they were shocked and dismayed to see Lucario standing behind Ash, now holding all their Pokéballs. They goggled at the Aura Pokémon. How in the name of Arceus had he managed that?

This scene had quickly grabbed the attention of all the people in the Pokémon Center. It had happened so fast that no one knew how to react to it. They just watched the scene unfold, stunned.

"You're disgusting example of what arrogance can cause," Ash spat as he sneered down at the panting figure collapsed on the ground.

"How dare you!" Damion managed to get out through his coughing and heaves for breath.

"How dare I?" Ash repeated. He glowered down in anger at Damion. "How dare you! Leaving a Pokémon behind, leaving it to die, that's disgusting!" he spat.

Damion cringed at Ash's harsh words. Then he snarled and forced himself in a standing position. The young trainer made a show of dusting himself of and then gave Ash the darkest glare he could muster. "I dare because that is my right as a trainer. As a trainer I have standards, and I will not have weak Pokémon on my team!"

"And for that you would willingly abandon a Pokémon to die," Ash hissed quietly, scarcely believing what was coming out of Damion's mouth. It went against everything he believed in as a trainer.

"Yes," Damion hissed back, eyes glowering in anger. "Pokémon are just objects. Tools to be used and then discarded when they aren't useful anymo-"

Ash's eyes flashed at the words and a soundless growl escapes from his lips. He moved forward, his strides blisteringly quick. Three years of fighting Lucario had taught him the importance of speed. His hand speared upwards and closed around Damion's jaw before he can utter the final few words. His mouth slams shut with such force that Ash heard Damion's teeth clatter together.

Damion's eyes bulged outwards. Agony dances in his eyes. Ash wondered for a moment if Damion had bitten his tongue when he forcibly shut him up. Which is proven correct when a thin trickle of blood leaks from the corner of his lips.

Ash pushed Damion back and forced him up against the wall behind him. "You listen and listen well," Ash hissed at the struggling figure in his grasp. "If I ever hear you talk like that again, I can and will make an example out of you. You are scum. You are trash. You are nothing." Damion's eyes lit up with impotent rage. Ash's hand tightened around his jaw. The anger in his eyes disappeared, replaced with fear in a heartbeat.

 _Coward,_ Ash's transmitted into Damion's brain via his Aura. His eyes bulged out even further.

Ash released Damion and stepped back, allowing Damion to fall to his knees, once again heaving for breath and spitting up blood. Ash looked down at the figure, having absolutely no regrets. He turned to look towards the shocked looking trainers scattered throughout the Pokémon Center. "Well, this trainer just admitted to his friends and us that he abandoned one of his Pokémon to die. Where are the security personnel? They need to be locked up before Officer Jenny gets here to take them to prison."

The Aura trainee's words got the shocked trainers back moving. Moments later security personnel, accompanied by bulky looking Machops entered the room and put handcuffs around the wrists of Damion and his flunkies.

"You bastard," Damion shouted as he was being dragged away. "You will pay for this!"

Ash waved him off as he was dragged away to the back of the Pokémon Center. Lucario quickly handed over the Pokéballs he had taken from Damion's friends to the remaining security personnel. They quickly moved back to their table and took a seat, discretely looking out over the room from the corner of their eyes.

The room remained silent for a long while, the trainers shooting curious glances at Ash and Lucario, before conversation started up again. Everything went back to normal in a few minutes.

"Holy," Anabel breathed out as Ash sat down in front of her, giving him a searching glance. "I better never piss you of, or I'm toast."

Lucario shrugged as he leaned forwards, resting his elbows on the table, and gave an answer in place of his student. _That was just Ash behaving as I taught him to behave. As an Aura Guardian it's his duty to protect innocents, Human and Pokémon alike, and to punish all evil doers. Damion just got what was coming to him. Nothing more, nothing less._

Pikachu sweat-dropped and gave Lucario a sideways look from Ash's shoulder. "So, you taught him to manhandle boys his own age?" he asked, incredulity lacing his voice.

Lucario rolled his eyes. _Of course not. I just taught him to punish those in need of punishing. There is a big difference._

"Right," Pikachu drawled, not at all convinced.

The conversation went to lighter things after that. They talked about their homes, their families, the Pokémon and Ash's next Gym match. All the while, they thought of Charmander and the actions of Damion. Even when they rented two rooms and went to bed, their thoughts went back to the Fire-Type, hoping and praying that he would be alright.

Ash had already decided what he would do. He went to sleep with a determined smile.

* * *

"You want what now?" Nurse Joy questioned, a befuddled expression on her otherwise kind face.

Ash smiled politely at the surprised nurse. "I want to know if I can have Charmander. What Damion did yesterday night was absolutely horrible and I want to help Charmander in any way I can. I'm sure that I'll be able to get through to him."

Behind the pair stood Anabel, with Eevee on her shoulder and Lucario besides her, watching and waiting. Both were waiting anxiously on Nurse Joy's answer. Pikachu was as always on his trainers shoulder.

Nurse Joy looked him over, sizing him up, her kind green eyes taking on a much sharper appearance. She had always been a good judge of character, in her opinion at least, and was now using that trait to try and find out of Ash had an ulterior motive in suggesting to take on the care of Charmander. As far as she could see, he was genuine, and from what she had seen he was a kind enough lad, if a bit brutal if provoked. He had more than proven that yesterday.

And she approved. The nurse didn't like violence, not one bit in fact, but anyone who leaves a Pokémon to die deserves to be taken down a peg or forty. She also had the honor of bringing Damion and his flunkies their breakfast this morning, and was shocked and appalled at their attitude. In all her years as a nurse she had never been screamed at, insulted and berated to such a degree as this morning.

Which was saying something as she had dealt with distraught trainers, angry parents and enraged Pokémon before. She was glad that Officer Jenny would come and pick up the miscreants in an hour or so to have them processed in the justice system.

Served them right, the little bastards.

Her thoughts quickly went back to Ash's proposal. He was a qualified and talented trainer, which she had discovered when she had done a background check on him last night, who also had a connection to Professor Oak. In addition, his Pokémon seemed to adore him. He had also saved Charmander's life, which could help build a bond between the Fire-Type and Ash.

She winced when her thoughts went back to Charmander. The little Fire-Type had been in very bad shape when Ash had brought him to her last night. He had been covered in scratches from the Spearow that had occasionally attacked him, his temperature had dropped far below the norm for a Fire-Type and his tail flame had been on the verge of snuffing out.

If Ash had brought in Charmander a mere minute later she was sure that he would have died then and there. As it was, only her quick actions had saved the little Fire-Type's life. He would recover completely, though, and was already well under way with his recovery. Physically at least.

Mentally, though, that was a whole other story.

Charmander had woken up early in the morning and had immediately tried to run off, aiming to return to the rock where his trainer had abandoned him. It had taken two Chanseys to restrain the frantic Fire-Type long enough for her to explain to him that Damion had abandoned him and would be going to jail very shortly for his crime.

That hadn't helped matters at all. Charmander had stared at her for a whole minute, frozen in shock, before letting out a blood-curling wail of misery and started sobbing his eyes out. He had quieted half an hour ago, but he had been staring blankly at a wall since then, not responding to anyone or anything around him.

Hopefully, Ash would be able to help the Fire-Type. Her eyes refocused on Ash and she nodded at him, stepping aside to allow him to pass through the door leading to Charmander's room. "Alright, Ash. If you can convince Charmander to go with you I'll allow it." A light grimace appeared on her face. "Be warned, though. Charmander hasn't taken the news that Damion abandoned him well."

Ash nodded grimly. "I had expected that," he admitted sadly before his eyes hardened with determination. "Still, I want to try."

Nurse Joy gave him a small smile and gestured him through the door. Ash stepped through, his friends following close behind. They came into what looked to be an overly white hospital room.

Their attention was immediately drawn towards the single bed in the room. In it, covered in a thin pristine white blanket laid Charmander, who was staring blankly through the people who had just entered his room.

"It's like he doesn't even notice us," Anabel thought with a shiver, slightly spooked by the blank-eyed stare.

Ash approached the bed cautiously, idly wondering how the blankets and the bed hadn't caught fire yet with Charmander's tail flame hidden beneath the covers. He came to a stop at the head of the bed, right besides Charmander, and sat down on the edge of the bed. The bed creaked and groaned loudly.

Charmander still didn't react. He just continued on staring into nothingness.

"Hey there," Ash said, bending over lightly so that he could look Charmander in the eyes. Still no reaction. "How are you feeling?" Still nothing.

Fighting hard to keep the frown from appearing on his face Ash continued talking gently to the Fire-Type, trying to get a reaction out of him. Charmander didn't react, no matter what he said, until he strayed to a forbidden topic: "What Damion did...it was wrong," Ash finally said.

Charmander's eyes lost their blank stare and he snapped towards him, his claws clenching in outrage.

"What do you mean?! And how do you know his name?!" Charmander snapped furiously, tiny embers spitting forth from his muzzle.

Despite himself Ash smiled. Charmander still had a fire inside of him, and no, he wasn't referring to the natural flames of any Fire-Type, but the fires of passion that burned brightly in everyone's heart.

Ash leaned forwards, meeting Charmander's glare head on. "It was his duty as your trainer to take care of you, to raise you, to make you strong. His act of abandoning you when you needed his help the most proves that he did wrong by you. He had no right to call himself your trainer, or a trainer at all for that matter."

Charmander sneered, but Ash could see the tiny tears gathering in his eyes. "Who..." the Fire-Type began hesitantly, a broken tone to his voice. "Who are you to say that?"

Ash sighed, took off his cap, and racked his hand through his messy hair before putting his cap back on. "I say that as a proud trainer. A trainer's foremost duty is to take care of their Pokémon, and Damion spat on that duty without pause or remorse. He disgusts me," he admitted, before he raised his hand and brushed away the tiny tears leaking away from Charmander's eyes. The Fire-Type flinched, but didn't react further.

"He did wrong, no matter how you look at it, and it wasn't by any means your fault, Charmander," Ash said, knowing that this was the crux of the matter. In the end it didn't matter what Damion had done, but how his actions had affected Charmander and how he was going to help the small Fire-Type to rise above it. That's what mattered. "It was your basic right as a Pokémon to be taken care of, to be raised properly, to be loved, and Damion took that right and basically ripped it part without a second thought."

Charmander looked away, an uncertain look to his eyes. "But-but I'm weak. I've even lost to Grass-Types before. If I had just been stronger..."

Ash suddenly grabbed Charmander by the shoulders and forced the lizard-like Pokémon to meet his calm and determined eyes. "Then that was _Damion's_ fault," he said, putting emphasis on Damion's name. "It was his duty to train you and to guide you in battle. If a Pokémon losses a match then it is almost always the trainers fault, and never the Pokémon's fault. Besides," he added with a grin. "You look plenty strong to me."

Charmander looked away from him, and despite his harrowed appearance, a tiny smile had fought its way across his muzzle. "Do you...do you really mean that?" Charmander spoke, sounding hopeful.

"Of course," Ash nodded without hesitation, giving Charmander a bright smile. "Why, I would love to have a Pokémon like you on my team."

Charmander's eyes once again snapped towards him, practically glowing with hope. "You would have me, even when I'm wea-not that strong," the Fire-Type corrected himself at the last moment, seeing Ash's eyes darkening at calling himself weak. He had no intention of blowing this!

Ash nodded, "Of cou-" he started to say, but got cut off when Charmander suddenly bolted up right in bed and gave Ash a flying tackle. Ash was nearly knocked over, but managed to remain seated on the bed and hugged Charmander back, who had buried his head in the crook of his Ash's neck, a steady stream of tears falling down and soaking his shirt.

He barely even noticed. All his attention was focused on the Fire-Type in his arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Charmander chanted like a broken record.

Behind them, Nurse Joy peeked into the room, and smiled a relieved smile at the heartwarming scene. _'Thank you, Ash Ketchum.'_

Ash was rubbing Charmander's back, still sitting on the edge of the bed and was whispering sweet nothings into the Fire-Types ear. Pikachu had reached over and was patting the crying Fire-Type on the arm, remaining on his place on Ash's shoulder. Anabel was smiling, and Lucario was smiling proudly at his student.

It was indeed a very heartwarming scene.

* * *

Ash smiled sheepishly and extended his hand towards the officer of the law in front of him.

"Hello officer Jenny. I'm sorry to say that trouble seems to be following me. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."

In front of him, framed by the backdrop of the Pokémon Center stood Officer Jenny, the same one who had interrogated him after the fiasco with the Rocket's. She snorted at his rather bland remark and took his hand, shaking it firmly.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad nothing too bad happened this time," she remarked, giving him a crooked smile. Then she sighed and rubbed her arm in discomfort. "Still, it always pains me when I have to arrest children. That Damion and his friends are a piece of work, let me tell you, but they are just children. Let's hope that they'll learn their lesson from this and wizen up before they really get someone killed."

Ash's smile turned forced ever so slightl. "I hope so, too," he said, not giving away his inner doubts about Damion ever repenting for his sins.

"Anyway," the officer of the law continued as she gave Anabel a curious look over from the corner of her eyes. "I see that you made a friend," she remarked. Anabel gave her a friendly wave. Jenny smiled at her in return before her eyes focused back on Ash. A slight hint of mischievousness glimmered in them. "You know, I never made you out for a ladies man, Ash. Did you save her too?"

Ash blinked and it took him a moment to process Jenny's question. An atomic blush exploded on his face. He noted from the corner of his eyes that Anabel had similarly turned cherry red at the question.

Lucario snorted and Pikachu started laughing, freely smashing his tiny fists against Ash's shoulder in hilarity. Ash silently swore to himself to triple Pikachu's training exercises for today. Eevee, who was on Anabel's shoulder, started giggling madly at her trainer's discomfort.

"W-what m-makes yo-you say tha-," Ash stuttered out, but Anabel cut him off.

"How did you know?!" Anabel screeched, her voice high-pitched and painful to the ears.

Officer Jenny's smile fell from her face as her eyes sharpened and narrowed. She grabbed Ash by the shoulder and shook him to get his attention. "Ash," she said, her voice dangerously low, nearly a growl, "What did you save her from? And I swear, if you got tangled up with even more unsavory people and didn't call the police I'll call your parents and have them cancel your journey right here, right now!"

Ash gulped at the threat and hastened to explain. "It's not anything like that!" he said, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to explain. "We were just traveling on Mt. Moon, you know, to see the sights. And as we were traveling up the mountain the weather suddenly turned bad." Jenny nodded at that, she remembered how that storm some time back that had suddenly erupted with Mt. Moon at its center.

Anabel suddenly took over where Ash had left of, completing the story. "I had been similarly been traveling on Mt. Moon. I-I was nearly hit by lightning and I almost fell down a deep cliff. Luckily Ash managed to get to me in time and saved me from falling."

Jenny looked at them for a time, trying to see if they were lying. Looking at their honest faces she decided to drop the matter.

She sighed and let go of Ash's shoulder, stepping back to give the boy his space. "Alright, I believe you," she said, causing Ash to sigh in relieve.

"Let's hope something like that doesn't happen again," Jenny said and gave Anabel a compassionate look. The young trainer smiled at her in response. "Well, I have to get those miscreants back to the precinct. Let's hope they behave themselves on the way back to Viridian City, but I'm not counting on it. And Ash," she suddenly called out. "At least try to stay out of trouble, and take good care of that Charmander. Otherwise you'll have to deal with me!"

Ash nodded, a dead serious expression on his face. "I'll take good care of him, don't worry," he said with conviction.

Jenny smiled and nodded back, completely missing the fact that Ash didn't promise to stay out of trouble. "Right, have a good journey Ash, Anabel. Goodbye," she said and turned, heading for the police van that would take Damion and his friends to the precinct in order to have them processed in the justice system.

Ash and Anabel waved her goodbye. They continued to watch as the van pulled away and swiftly took off down the beaten path, making for a very bumpy ride. Ash had to fight off a smile that threatened to appear on his face as he imagined how uncomfortable Damion and his friends had to be right now.

Lucario grunted. _Well, that's finished. Let's head out. I want to be in Vermilion City before the week is over._

Ash and Anabel nodded and quickly headed down the path in the opposite direction the police van had taken, setting their sights on Vermilion City. Ash could hardly wait.

Lt. Surge wouldn't know what hit him!

* * *

Anabel's purple eyebrow twitched, but not in annoyance. Oh no, she was very, very amused right now. Eevee apparently agreed with her and was laughing pretty loudly herself.

"So, let me get this straight," she all but laughed. "You actually blew that guy up! How the hell did you do that?"

At the moment they were traveling down a steep hill into the direction of Vermilion City, getting closer to it with each step. Still, the city was still four days away, at least at their current pace. To pass the time the group had decided to swap some stories around they hadn't yet told the others. Pikachu had gone first, Ash translating for him in order to include Anabel, and had everyone laughing with the silly adventures he had gotten into with the 'Pichu Brothers'.

Then, surprisingly, Lucario had gotten in on the fun. He had told them about the time he and Sir Aaron had been tasked with protecting a caravan of travelers and merchants who desired to settle in the kingdom of Rota, and had dealt with a bunch of rowdy highwayman who had tried to ransack the rather unfortunate bunch of people. After quickly taking care of the idiots trying to attack the people under his protection they immediately had to deal with a bunch of blustering husbands who claimed they could have taken care of the threat themselves...

...And a bunch of suddenly needy woman. In Sir Aaron's case at least. Lucario got a good chuckle out of that memory.

Eevee had told a story about herself and her younger sisters and how they had played a prank on the caretakers that took care of them at the Celadon Pokémon Day Care. It consisted of loads of tripwire, all kinds of different colored paint, one hundred gas bombs, twenty-something man-sized plastic balls and more than a few other Pokémon who had helped to set up the prank.

When asked how they gotten all that stuff Eevee had blushed, looked away and had refused to answer the question.

Anabel had told them about the time she and her mother had dealt with some supposed pervert, who was now her stepfather, by kicking him in the groin. It was actually an accident really. The man had simply slipped and in his panic had tried to grab the nearest thing, which just happened to be Anabel's mother's chest. Anabel responded to this, even as her mother screamed in shock, by kicking the man as hard as she could in the family jewels.

Much more screaming followed.

And this had happened right in the middle of a mall. Everyone involved was very much embarrassed, except Anabel. She had been proud, having protected her mother after all. Ahh, the mind of an eight year old was such a strange thing, Ash mused to himself.

Fortunately, the man had immediately apologized after recovering from his kick induced injury, and had proposed to make it up to her by asking her out on a nice evening, taking her out to dinner in a fancy restaurant.

Anabel's mother had surprisingly agreed. That same day she went out with the man, came to like him immensely, and married him within the year. He was quite the ladies' man, according to Anabel at least.

And now they had come to Ash's story.

"I didn't actually blow the guy up," Ash said, his cheeks stained red with embarrassment. "I more like... blew him away."

Lucario snorted at shot Ash an amused look. _Hmm, that's one way of putting it, yes._

Ash's blush grew. "Oh come on! How was I supposed to know that experimenting with my Aura in such a manner would lead to an explosion of that size?!" he whined.

Lucario rolled his eyes and then lightly wacked Ash on the back of the head. _One, I told you to never experiment with Aura unless I am there. Secondly, you don't experiment with Aura, you go through the motions your predecessors went through before you, and after that you can try out new things by yourself. And thirdly, you shouldn't have been experimenting in broad daylight in front of other people in the first place!_

Ash lightly rubbed the back of his head and grumbled about abuse under his breath. "But I was only doing internal Aura experimenting. No one could see that I was doing anything at all in the first place."

Lucario sighed. _And I'm still wondering how you produced an explosion of that size by not even projecting your Aura outwards. Luckily, no one managed to find out that you caused that explosion and that guy you blew away only had a few scraps. Not even mentioning the fact that you yourself can't get hurt by your own Aura, or otherwise it would have been ugly, to say the least._

Pikachu snickered, trying to smother his laughs, which where eclipsed by the sudden growling of his stomach. He blushed as everyone turned to look at him. "Well," the electric rodent said, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm hungry. Can we have something to eat now?"

Ash looked up at the sky and noted the time. He shrugged. "Sure, it's just past noon now anyway."

He quickly led them of the path and into a wide and spacious clearing down beside the road. The group quickly set out to make a light afternoon snack. Nothing too elaborate, just some basic Pokéchow for their Pokémon and some sandwiches for the Humans. Lucario, of course, took care of his own food.

Ash saw Anabel release her own trio of Pokémon just as he released his newest addition to his team: Charmander. Kadabra and Munchlax appeared in a white blaze and immediately honed in on the bowls of food that Anabel had set up for them. They quickly joined Eevee, who had already started on her own bowl.

He turned his attention back to his Pokémon and grinned. "Hey, Charmander. How are ya?" he asked with a friendly grin. While Charmander had looked fine yesterday when he took the Fire-Type with him it wouldn't surprise him if he still had some lingering doubts about him and his former trainer.

Charmander simply looked up at him with wide happy eyes and smiled a toothy grin at him.

Looking at the Fire-Type Ash suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to do. He quickly took out his Pokédex and aimed at Charmander, who cocked his head curiously at the strange red device.

 _Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon_ , the Pokédex droned coldly like the machine that it was. _Charmander's health can be gauged by the fire on the tip of its tail, which burns intensely when it's in good health. This Charmander is male and knows the moves Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen and Flamethrower. This Charmander also has the ability Blaze, which activates when this Pokémon is close to defeat, immensely strengthening Fire-Type attacks and giving an allover increase to this Pokémon's strength._

Ash nodded to himself as he contemplated Charmander's move set. It truly wasn't anything special, but it did give him a solid base to work his way up from. He did already have Flamethrower, though. A pretty good attack for such a young Pokémon.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Ash finally said, making Charmander grin. The trainer put his Pokédex away and looked Charmander over, contemplating what to teach the Fire-Type to increase his overall fighting skills. "You have a solid base, Charmander. The only thing you're really lacking is a powerful close range attack. Something like..." Ash thought about it for a moment before the metaphorical light bulb appeared over his head. He grinned. "Something like Dragon Claw," Ash announced.

Charmander's eyes widened and his muzzle gaped slightly open. The lizard-like Pokémon quickly gathered himself, though. He looked up at Ash hopefully. "Do you really think I can learn a Dragon-Type move," Charmander said hopefully, a certain amount of awe to his voice when he said dragon.

Ash nodded immediately, smiling down at Charmander. "Of course. It's just going to take a lot of hard work and determination. Something I know you have in spades. Besides, your kind are pretty damn close to Dragon-Type Pokémon anyway. I'm sure you'll be able to learn Dragon Claw just fine."

The trainer looked behind him and spied Anabel who had just sat down on the soft grass to enjoy her own food. He turned his attention back to Charmander and gestured to the bowl he had set down for him. "But training can come after lunch. Eat up, Charmander, and get ready, because I'm planning to put you through your paces."

Instead of being daunted by what Ash had said Charmander simply grew more excited. This was his chance to prove himself. To Ash, to his teammates, and most importantly, to himself. He would give it his all, he swore it to himself. And he would make everyone, including himself, proud.

With that happy thought he sat down in front of his bowl and started eating together with his new friends.

* * *

Life was wonderful, Ash firmly decided to himself. He had been traveling for about a month now and everything had been awesome. Traveling, making new friends, meeting and helping people in need, getting stronger and working towards his ultimate goal all wrapped up in one massive adventure that had only just begun. Truly, it didn't get any better than this. It was perfect.

At least, it would have been perfect, if not for one little thing.

"We're lost," Ash sighed to himself and smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead.

"And whose fault is that?" Anabel asked, giving him a pointed stare. "It was your idea to take a shortcut through the woods. And you lost your map, remember?"

Ash smiled sheepishly and waved his hand apologetically. "Sorry, but I was simply so excited for my next Gym match. I had hoped that by taking a shortcut through the woods we would have reached Vermilion City sooner. As for the map..." he trailed of and adverted his eyes. "Trust me, I've learned my lesson. Keep your possessions secure and never stray from the path so long as you can help it."

 _You'd better,_ Lucario muttered as he shot Ash an annoyed look. _We would have been in Vermilion City by now if you hadn't insisted on taking that shortcut._

Pikachu rolled his eyes before giving Lucario a flat look. "Man, what crawled up your butt. It's not like we have a deadline or something. The League Conference is still nine months away. More than enough time to gather all the Badges. We're on a journey, aren't we? I say that we should take diversions like this more often. We need to see as much of the world as possible," the yellow rodent said, looking out fondly at the greenery surrounding the group.

Lucario sighed and shook his head. _I know, I know. It's just that Sir Aaron always tried to do things in as a timely manner as possible. Wasting time just grates on my nerves, that's all._

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Anabel suddenly said as she cocked her head to the side, trying to hear better. "Isn't that..." her eyes widened," Lapping waves."

Ash blinked and closed his eyes as he focused his Aura to his ears, augmenting his hearing for a fair degree. His eyes snapped open and he grinned. "You're right. That's the sound of waves," He grabbed Anabel's hand, not noticing her sudden blush, and started pulling her along. "Let's go. If we follow the coastline we will eventually reach Vermilion City. If my memory serves me right, and I'm certain that it does, Vermilion City lays right up against the sea."

They quickly broke free from the tree line and were treated to a stunning view of the open sea with a rising sun just becoming visible over the horizon, setting the sea aglow with a vibrant orange hue.

Anabel breathed out deeply at the sight, smiling vibrantly. "Beautiful."

Ash and Pikachu nodded in agreement while Lucario smiled softly at the sight.

Pikachu look to the side and spotted something. A grin appeared on his tiny face, causing his sharp canines to appear. "Hey, look there," he said and pointed towards the thing he had discovered. Everybody looked towards the side and their eyes widened as they beheld what they had missed earlier.

An immense lighthouse towered into the sky, it's red and white stripes that decorated its exterior easily grabbing everyone's attention in spite of the light fog surrounding the huge building. It stood tall and proud on an imposing cliff side, looking out over sea, its light aimed at the murky depths below it.

Ash sweatdropped. "How in the name of Arceus did we miss that?" he wondered to himself. No one deigned to answer that question.

 _Let's go take a look,_ Lucario said and started walking in the direction of the imposing lighthouse. _Chances are that there's someone there that can point us in the direction we need to go along the coastline. If not, I'm sure that we can find some kind of map or something._

Ash, Anabel and Pikachu looked at each other, shrugged, and followed after the Aura Pokémon.

"I hope so. I have no intention of getting lost a second time."

Ash suddenly frowned, noticing something peculiar, and looked down. He blinked at the Krabby that had clamped itself tightly to his foot.

The Krabby blinked back.

Then it clicked.

"YOOOUCH!" Ash screamed and kicked out his foot, sending the Krabby flying. The others snickered at him. He shot them an annoyed look in return before his eyes once more sought out Krabby. He saw the tiny red crab-like Pokémon getting back on its feet and glared at him with more heat than one would expect from such a tiny Pokémon. Slowly, a grin appeared on Ash's face.

"That hurt you little rascal," Ash muttered through his grin. He idly contemplated which Pokémon he should use to capture that Krabby, only for the choice to be taken from him a moment later.

One of his Pokéballs clipped to his belt wiggled suddenly and then snapped open. In a white flash of light Charmander appeared in front of him, glaring defiantly at the Krabby who had dared to hurt his trainer and friend.

Ash raised an eyebrow at Charmander and was about to call out to him, telling him to get back, but halted himself. He had added Charmander to his team five days ago and he had immediately found out that Charmander would go to herculean efforts to get in his good graces. As proven when he actually managed to keep up with his other Pokémon for a time in the few days he had been training with them. It was Charmander's way of adding himself to the team, and to prove himself to Ash.

That what this was. A chance for Charmander to prove himself.

"Ready, Charmander?" Ash asked. His only Fire-Type Pokémon nodded resolutely. "Alright then! Use Flamethrower!"

Charmander's eyes burned with passion and resolve as he opened his maw, embers already gathering in the back of his throat in preparation for the attack. Taking a deep breath through his nose Charmander spat out a concentrated stream of scorching flames straight at Krabby.

Not to be outdone, Krabby responded in kind. The Water-Type opened its tiny mouth and spewed out a concentrated beam of bubbles.

The attacks met and promptly tried to push the other back, the stream of bubbles battling it out against the maelstrom of fire. Krabby and Charmander upped the power behind their attacks, their respective streams thickening. The bubbles doused the flames and the flames evaporated and popped the bubbles in turn, creating a stalemate and forming a thick blanket of mist that obscured everything from sight.

Now unable to see their opponent and aim their attacks effectively the two Pokémon cut off their attacks at about the same time. Both stared hard into the fine mist, trying to discern their enemy's location. Another stalemate.

One which Ash broke.

The trainer closed his eyes and focused his Aura. His Aura sight activated and he zoomed in on Krabby. "Charmander." The Fire-Type perked up at his whispering voice, only barely being able to make it out. "Use Ember straight ahead and a little to the right."

Trusting his trainer Charmander acted immediately. He opened his maw, spitting out a maelstrom of tiny fireballs into the mist in the direction Ash had specified. He was rewarded with a pained squeal as tiny explosions abounded.

Charmander closed his maw and smirked. He once again peered into the mist that had slowly started to lift.

The mist disappeared seconds later to show... Nothing!

Both Ash's and Charmander's eyes widened, and before they could react, the sand in front of Charmander erupted.

Krabby appeared, sand sliding off of its red armor and one bright red claw surrounded by frothing water. The crab-like Pokémon brought it down on Charmander's head with herculean force a blink of an eye later. Water erupted from the blow and sent the sand beneath Charmander's feet flying in all directions, along with Charmander himself.

Charmander slammed into the soft sand in front of Ash, bruised and unmoving.

Ash winced. That Crabhammer had packed quite a wallop.

"Get up Charmander!" Ash called out desperately, staring defiantly at the unmoving figure of his Pokémon. "I know that you're stronger than that," he said with iron-hard conviction, a conviction met by Charmander's own.

A twitch. Another. Then a leg moved. Then an arm. Followed by the other leg, and then the other arm. Charmander forced himself on his hands and knees, panting in exertion and pain, but fierce defiance burned in his eyes.

"I will win," Charmander growled to himself, once again heaving himself onto his feet.

"Flamethrower into the ground!" Ash suddenly shouted, eyes wide as he spotted Krabby spit out another beam of bubbles straight at Charmander.

Charmander didn't question the order and spat a blistering stream of fire into the ground, catapulting himself high into the air, evading the Bubble Beam attack. The lizard-like Pokémon immediately repositioned his attack and covered Krabby in scorching fire.

Krabby screeched and tried to get away from the flames, but it was neither a fast nor very maneuverable. It was stuck underneath the flames.

Charmander came falling down from the sky, still pinning Krabby down with his Flamethrower, and Ash saw the perfect moment to end it.

Ash smirked and pointed at Krabby. "Let's wrap this up! Use Scratch!"

Charmander gave a smirk of his own through his still ongoing Flamethrower and reared his clawed arms back. His claws lit up with a faint white glow as he readied his attack. At the very last moment before he would have struck Krabby he cut off his Flamethrower, did a front flip, and brought down his glowing claws in a merciless scissor movement, gauging claw marks into Krabby's natural armor.

Krabby gave one last high-pitched screech, stumbled back, and blacked out, falling limp in the soft sand.

Ash quickly grabbed an empty Pokéball, enlarged it with the click of a button, and hurled it at Krabby. "You're mine!" The Pokéball struck Krabby right in the head and snapped open. Krabby turned into bright red energy and was sucked inside as the Pokéball clicked shut, its center glowing red and wiggling from side to side as the Pokémon inside tried its hardest to escape.

Moments later, the Pokéball stopped wiggling with a soft 'ding' and came to rest on the soft sand.

"Alright!" Ash cheered and was promptly cut of as Charmander tackled him in happiness, knocking them both to the ground.

"That was great, buddy! I told you, didn't I, that you were strong," Ash complimented the Fire-Type.

Charmander simply clutched his trainer tighter at his congratulatory words.

"Great work, buddy. Now, have a good long rest," Ash said and took out Charmander's Pokéball. He returned his Pokémon and stood up, dusting of the sand that had clung to him. He then made his way over to Pokéball that held Krabby and picked it up. The up-and-coming trainer smiled at it and then shrunk it down with the push of a button before clipping it to his belt beside Charmander's.

"Well," Anabel said, gaining Ash's attention. He looked over at her and saw his friends waiting on him. "That was a fine first battle with Charmander, Ash, but can we go now? My feet are starting to hurt from standing still for so long."

Ash nodded and gave her an apologetic smile as he ran up to join her and Lucario. Shortly after that they were once again tracking towards the huge lighthouse that still loomed quite a distance away.

* * *

Ten minutes later the group arrived at the base of the lighthouse, and as one they looked in awe at the masterpiece of a front door.

There were hundreds, the group absently realized. Pokémon, familiar, strange, exotic and strong-looking were exquisitely and elaborately carved in the seven feet tall stone gray double doors. All of them stood in an intimidating pose, their element surrounding them and highlighting their forms, roaring out their names or performing an attack. It reminded Ash starkly of the immense stone plates of the three Legendary Birds of Kanto he had seen in the Viridian City Pokémon Center.

It could be nothing more than a masterpiece.

Lucario walked up to it, and absently brushed over the images with his paw. He smiled and committed the image to memory. Memories like this where supposed to be treasured, and he would treasure this image for the rest of his life.

"I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but wow," Anabel breathed out as she studied the masterpiece of a door intently, trying to burn the image into her mind.

"You can say that again," Ash agreed, his eyes hungrily roaming over the door.

Pikachu snorted at them, but even he was watching the door intently. "It's nice to look at," he admitted. "But I don't have much experience with Human architecture. Would this be considered something special?" the electric rodent wondered curiously.

Surprisingly, it was Eevee who answered. "Yes, this is something very, very special. I could count masterpieces I have seen together with my trainer like this door on my paw and have digits to spare."

Pikachu looked faintly intrigued hearing this and studied the door closer, but finally decided they had something more important to do. "Well, as interesting as this is I believe we came here for a reason," Pikachu hinted.

Ash nodded and stepped up towards the door. He considered knocking for a moment, but then he spotted the bell besides the door. Smiling, he rang it.

 _ **DING-DONG!**_

The ancient sounding, almost church like, bell echoed in the sudden silence, the strange and haunting sound startling Ash, Anabel and their Pokémon, except for Lucario, of course. They looked at each other, not really sure what to make of the strange occurrence. There was another moment of silence, which was broken seconds later by the sound of rapid footsteps coming from behind the closed-door.

The masterpiece of a door suddenly swung open inwards, revealing an immaculately dressed man in a blue and black suit. He had green wavy hair and chocolate-brown eyes framed by a sharp face. The man bowed lightly to them in greeting. "Hello, my name is Bill. I'm custodian of this lighthouse. How may I help you?"

Anabel stepped forwards and bowed lightly back. "Hello, I'm Anabel and these are my friends," she said, gesturing to the people around her. "I'm afraid we are lost on our way to Vermilion City. You wouldn't happen to know which direction we would need to go, would you?"

Bill smiled broadly and nodded at her. "While I'm not completely sure in which direction you should go there's a map up in my office," he said and stepped aside, gesturing them inside. "Come in and warm yourself. Feel free to look around. I'll go get the map."

They stepped inside and looked around curiously. Meanwhile, Bill discretely disappeared back to his office, looking for the map.

Ash looked around and whistled. The inside looked like nothing that he had expected from a lighthouse. They had entered some kind of elaborate antechamber with neatly decorated columns and a high arched roof. The tiles beneath their feet were colored emerald and almost shone under the low glow of the lamps hanging down from above, creating blotches of light and twisting elongated shadows of everything around them. It honestly looked a little creepy to him.

"Well," Anabel muttered to herself. "This is new."

Lucario looked around with hard eyes. He never liked to be in enclosed dark places, it created too many opportunities to be ambushed. The Aura Pokémon forced himself to relax slightly. _It reminds me of Rota's church, just a hell of a lot darker._

Ash's roaming eyes spotted something of interest and before he knew it he was walking towards it. "Hey, guys," he said, gaining everyone's attention, and immediately realized that he was walking towards a Video-Phone tucked into a dark corner of the church-like interior of the lighthouse. "I'm gonna call my mother for a moment."

Anabel raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that our host will be okay with that?"

Ash shrugged in reply. "I'm sure that he'll be fine with it. Besides, it's a public Video-Phone."

Lucario continued looking around in interest. Anabel nodded and smiled at him, unintentionally mimicking Eevee's actions. Pikachu was still on Ash's shoulder, so he went along for the ride.

Ash sat down in front of the Video-Phone and absently corrected the camera so that his mother could have a better view of him. He picked up the telephone and dialed his home number. He absent-mindedly tapped his finger against his forearm as he waited.

"Hello?" his mother's voice suddenly appeared as the Phone stopped ringing. Her face appeared on the screen a moment later, and Ash immediately spotted his mother brightening at seeing him. "Ash!" she exclaimed happily as she waved at him, "It was about time that you called me. How are you doing? What has your journey been like? How many Pokémon have you caught? Did you make some more friends? Have you-"

Ash raised a hand to silence her, laughing softly at his mother's exuberant nature. "Mom, calm down. I can't answer your questions if you keep on asking more," he said, tapping his chin as he thought about her questions. "So, in order, I'm doing fine. My journey has been awesome so far. I've caught another three Pokémon, a Pidgeotto, a Charmander and I just caught a Krabby. And I did make a new friend. Her name is Anabel and she is traveling with me now."

"That's great, Ash," his mother chirped, but then her eyes gained a mischievous gleam. "So, Anabel huh? What a nice name. Are you sure she is just a friend?"

Ash blushed brightly at his mother's insinuation. Pikachu snorted and shot her an amused look and winked at her. "T-that's not it," Ash stuttered, caught off guard. "She's just a friend I enjoy traveling around with."

"You know what they say, Ash," Delia said, her eyes crinkling in humor. "Friends make the best spouses."

Ash's blush grew to cover his entire body and he absently wondered why he wasn't feeling light-headed, as the blood needed to make his entire body blush should have made him a bit queasy at least. "Moooooooom," he all but whined.

"Alright, alright," Delia relented, all though she was still smiling widely."I'll quit. _For now_."

Ash shuddered at the silent promise in his mother's words and begged Arceus that no one would be there to see it when she would tease him the next time. He quickly changed the topic. "So, how have things been at home?"

"Quiet mostly," she admitted, shrugging lightly. "Professor Oak has asked me to help him out more often at the lab and Chris from down the street broke his leg." Delia winced at the same time Ash did. "But for the most part everything has been pretty boring around here."

"Good," Ash said with a laugh. He was relieved to find out that his mother didn't carry the curse, or was it a blessing, he absently wondered, of running into troublesome situations every once in a while.

Suddenly, Delia's head snapped to the side as a soft 'ding' noise was heard in the background. She turned back to him, eyes apologetic, and started getting up. "Sorry, dear, but dinner is ready. I have to go now."

Ash smiled and waved his mother goodbye. "That's alright mom. I'll call you soon," he promised and switched of the Video-Phone, the screen turning black, and he placed the horn back down on its spot.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again. Your mother as a very energetic woman," Pikachu said, a light grin on his features.

Ash nodded in agreement, grinning along with his Pokémon, and stood up. He walked away from the Video-Phone and looked around, spotting Anabel, Lucario and Eevee quietly chatting in a dark corner of the church-like interior of the lighthouse.

"How's your mother doing?" Anabel asked curiously as he got closer to them. "The last time I spoke to my mother she nearly cried."

Ash shrugged. "All things considered she's doing fine. A bit bored maybe, but all around fine."

Lucario snorted and shook his head. _Delia has been, and always will be, a very hardy woman. It's in her nature._

"Huh," the unmistakable voice of Bill suddenly announced as the immaculately dressed man appeared from the darkness. He was loosely clutching a map in his hands as he gaped at Lucario incredulously. "A talking Pokémon," he mused to himself, noting absently that Lucario had face palmed at his mentioning of his ability to talk Human tongue. "Now I've truly seen everything."

 _Oh for the love of..._ Lucario growled to himself, his paw still attached to his forehead.

Ash sweatdropped and walked up to Bill. "Ignore him," he advised as he gestured to Lucario. "He just gets annoyed when people remark on his ability to talk." His eyes zeroed in on the map in Bill's hands. "Anyway, is that it?"

Bill shook his head, ridding himself of his shock and awe, and handed the map to Ash. "Yes, it's an entire map of the Kanto region. It's kind of old, but it still has all the important locations on it. Vermilion City included."

Ash nodded and took the map gratefully. He folded the map open and his sharp eyes immediately roamed over it, looking for Vermilion. The young trainer found it almost instantly. He smiled. "According to this map we just have to continue following the coastline in the northern direction and we'll eventually reach Vermilion City."

Lucario peered at the map over Ash's shoulder. _By my guess it would take us three days to reach our destination,_ the Aura Pokémon concluded.

Anabel and Eevee nodded in unison, agreeing with Lucario.

Folding the map closed again Ash was about to hand it back to Bill but he raised his hand in a warding motion, making Ash pause. "Keep it," Bill said, smiling lightl., "I have a newer map up in my office. I don't need this one. Consider it my gift for visiting me. The life of a Pokémon researcher like myself can be rather lonely..."

"You're a Pokémon researcher?" Anabel asked, blinking in surprise as she peered closer at Bill. The others looked equally as interested.

The aforementioned Pokémon researcher nodded and smiled. "Correct. My main area of expertise is Pokémon evolution, just like Professor Rowan from the Sinnoh region, and I have a passing interest in Shiny Pokémon."

Ash once again blinked as he stuffed the map into his backpack. "Shiny?" he questioned, having never heard of the term before.

The others gave him a strange look, not believing that he had never heard of Shiny Pokémon before. Lucario rubbed the back of his head, equally in disbelieve that he had forgotten to inform Ash about them. In his defense, Shiny Pokémon are just Pokémon with different colors then the norm, and didn't have any impact on battles or strategies.

After quickly explaining them to Ash, the group thanked Bill for the help and the map, said goodbye, left, and once again headed towards Vermilion City.

* * *

As predicted by Lucario the group arrived at Vermilion City three days later. Three days of traveling along beaches, dealing with swimmers and Water-Type Pokémon, enjoying the nice environment, and taking care of their Pokémon and training.

It had been a nice three days, but Ash was anxious to get to the Pokémon Center, mainly so that he could have Krabby checked out and possibly healed. He had already treated the tiny Water-Types injuries with a variety of potions, and he appeared just fine, but Ash wanted to make certain that the newest addition to his team was at one hundred percent. He had also already struck up a friendship with Krabby, but he had refrained from training the Water-Type, first wanting to make sure that he was alright before doing anything.

Ash absently realized that he had forgotten to scan Krabby with his Pokédex. He resolved to do it at the earliest convenience.

The group was silent as they entered Vermilion City, just taking in the scenery as they headed straight for the Pokémon Center. Vermilion City was a large city adjacent to the sea. Large skyscrapers towered into the sky and wide roads crisscrossed through the busy city. People milled everywhere and into every direction. A variety of electric appliances were almost everywhere they looked.

A true city of the new age.

Lucario looked up at the city map displayed on a humongous video screen that dominated the attention of all in the busy intersection they were passing through. His sharp and experienced eyes immediately picked out the Pokémon Center. _We're close, Ash,_ he called out to his trainer. _We just need to take the next left and then down a small plaza and we'll be at the Pokémon Center._

Ash nodded, not turning to look at Lucario, and started into the direction the Aura Pokémon had pointed in. "Good," he said and then fell silent.

"Hey, Ash," Anabel spoke up as she clutched Eevee to her chest. "Haven't you been in this city before?" Ash turned to look at her and nodded, a question in his eyes. Anabel answered it with one of her own. "Then why don't you know the way to the Pokémon Center?"

Ash sighed and made a show of looking around the busy sidewalks. "I did visit this city about four years ago, but things have changed since then. Nothing looks familiar to me here. Vermilion had always been a very progressive city. It seems they have completely overhauled the place since the last time I was here," he said, secretly hoping that the few friends he had made here were still the same.

Anabel nodded in understanding and returned to looking around the busy streets, trying to look for something that would catch her interest.

They continued on walking, just looking at everything that managed to grab their attention, and then minutes later they arrived at the Vermilion City Pokémon Center. It stood on the middle of a large plaza covered in large green trees and bushes. The building itself was large and was covered by a huge red dome like roof with a large P bolted on top for all to see. Trainers milled everywhere, carrying Pokémon and chatting with each other as they rushed inside with haste.

"What a busy place," Eevee mused softly to herself as the group entered the Pokémon Center. Pikachu nodded in agreement and was about to say something...

...and stopped dead in his tracks. His mouth had fallen open as he looked around the insides of the Pokémon Center in shock.

All around them where all kinds of Pokémon. That wasn't so surprising, being in a Pokémon Center and all, but what was surprising was the state the Pokémon were in. Nearly all of them were laying down on soft towels, their bodies bruised in beaten. The majority where moaning piteously while their trainers hovered besides them, concern on display for everyone to see who cared to look.

Ash took one look around, face palmed loud enough to draw attention from people a couple of feet away, and muttered to himself, "Oh no, he's at it again."

"Ash," Anabel said slowly as she looked around, a slight tinge of horror on her face. "You know who did this?"

The Aura trainee nodded and sighed. "Yup, this has Lt. Surge written all over it," he said and removed his palm from his forehead. "He's the Vermilion City Gym leader and the holder of the Thunder Badge."

"A Gym leader did this?" Anabel asked, equal parts shock and disgust to her voice. Her face tightened with barely controlled rage. "Wh-what the hell is he thinking?!" she almost shrieked in anger. Ash, Lucario, Pikachu and Eevee winced as her high-pitched voice assaulted their hearing. Anabel continued ranting, not even noticing the slightly pained expression on her companion's faces. "It's his duty as a Gym leader to guide and protect young trainers, not ruthlessly crush them!"

 _She's pissed,_ Lucario muttered to himself, cringing as his finely honed Aura senses practically allowed him to taste her anger.

Ash absently rubbed his right ear, the one closest to Anabel, trying to clear it from the ringing her voice had caused, and thought deeply about what he should say to calm her down, "I'm sorry Anabel, but Lt. Surge has always been a rather... spirited fighter. It's just his nature to go all out on his opponent no matter how old and experienced they are. That's just who he is," he was about to say more, but Anabel cut him off.

"That doesn't make this right!" she cut him off, her burning eyes fixing their attention on him. She gritted her teeth. "He has to pay for this."

"And how are you going to do that?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

Anabel took a deep breath at the question and tapped one of her Pokéballs. "My mother told me that when dealing with a bully one must always be willing to give him or her a taste of their own medicine," she smirked. "In other words, like he crushed these trainers, I'm going to crush him."

"Uh," Ash was slightly taken aback and gazed down at her blankly at her declaration. "Are you sure that is a good idea? Lt. Surge is the very definition of a hard ass. He fought in the Great War you know. Not even mentioning those Pokémon of his. They are strong and experienced, and Lt. Surge himself is as tough as they come as far as trainers go."

Anabel glared up at him and gritted out. "That doesn't matter. No matter how strong he is I'm going to give him a taste of his own medicine," she declared, her eyes brimming with confidence. With that same confidence she marched towards the counter behind which stood a haggard looking Nurse Joy and deposited her Pokémon. Ash shook his head and followed her, also depositing his Pokémon, except for Lucario of course.

Their Pokémon were returned to them moments later, fully healed and ready to fight once more. They quickly took the chance to rent two rooms for themselves as well. With barely a pause Anabel took her key from Nurse Joy's hand and headed up towards her room. Ash shook his head, took his own key, and followed her, hoping and praying that he wouldn't become the source of her ire any time soon.

* * *

Ash didn't fully relax until Anabel had disappeared into her room. Sighing in relieve Ash entered his own room and took in the small and cozy looking place. He smiled and quickly shrugged off his backpack, allowing it to fall to the ground as he moved towards the bed. With a small huff of exhaustion he fell back down on it, taking Pikachu down with him, and who immediately laid down beside him.

Lucario sat down on a small chair, his arms crossed lazily against his chest and his eyes closed in thought.

"Who would have thought," Pikachu mused.

"What? That Anabel would be that easy to set off? I hadn't expected that either," Ash said as he lazily stretched his arms above his head.

Lucario grunted in agreement and peeked one of his eyes open. _It took us all by surprise,_ he said. _We haven't known her for very long. There's probably a lot we don't know about her. She probably has hidden depths we haven't yet seen._

Ash nodded and sat up. He reached towards his belt and unclipped a trio of Pokéballs from his belt. "True, but we can talk about this later. First, we have a Gym match to prepare for, don't we?"

Pikachu sweatdropped. "If Anabel was serious just now you'll probably have to wait your turn."

Ash shrugged and threw the Pokéballs into the air. Three flashes of white later and Charmander, Krabby and Pidgeotto appeared on the ground in front of him. "Probably, but we still have to prepare."

"What're you guys talking about?" Charmander questioned as he gave a searching glance around the room.

Lucario grunted again. _That Ash will have to wait his turn to take on the Vermilion City Gym leader. Anabel has taken offence at the way he treats his challengers and has decided to take him on herself._

Charmander shot the Steel-Type a glance, before nodding and sitting down on the soft carpet.

Ash's gaze zeroed in on Krabby and looked him over, trying to see if Krabby was completely healthy. To his satisfaction Krabby appeared to be in perfect condition. His natural armor was practically shining, and his pincers seemed even bigger than before. Still, just to be sure. "Krabby, how are you feeling?"

Krabby blinked his large eyes, before grinning at him and smashing his pincers together in delight. "I feel good! No, great even! I haven't had this much fun in who knows how long!"

Ash blinked and cocked his head to the side. "Fun?" he questioned.

Krabby nodded and his grin widened. "Traveling with you guys for these last few days has been more fun than I can remember ever having! Now only if I could train with you guys, then things would be perfect!"

Ash chuckled at Krabby's exuberant nature and waved his hand, "Then you will be happy to hear that now that you have been checked out by Nurse Joy you will now be allowed to train with us," he said, causing Krabby to almost start vibrating. He blinked as he remembered something. The Aura trainee reached into his pocket and took out his Pokédex, raising it to point it at Krabby. With the push of a button it activated.

 _Krabby, the River Crab Pokémon,_ the red machine droned. _Living on sandy beaches in burrows it digs, Krabby can grow back its pincers if they break off in battle. This Krabby is male and knows the moves Bubble Beam, Harden, Crabhammer and Vice Grip. This Krabby has the ability Shell Armor, which means that enemies won't be able to land critical hits._

Ash whistled. "Nice," he commented, causing Krabby to grin at him.

"Does that mean you'll use me for your Gym match," Krabby asked hopefully, giving Ash a pleading stare.

"No, sorry," Ash shook his head and gave Krabby an apologetic smile. Seeing the pained look on Krabby's face he hastened to explain his decision. "The Vermilion City Gym leader specializes in Electric-Type Pokémon," he said, making Krabby wince. "I wouldn't dare send you out against an Electric-Type Pokémon, not even mentioning the fact that I haven't been able to train with you yet and make some strategies specially tailored for you. Without that I'm simply not comfortable sending you out."

Krabby nodded in understanding, but his eyes where still downcast. "I understand."

"Chin up, Krabby," Ash said, causing Krabby to look up at him. "I already have a few ideas as to how to use you in battle and a few attacks I think you should learn," he smiled at the suddenly hopeful glimmer in Krabby's eyes. "Give it a few days and you'll be ready for a real battle."

Krabby once again grinned and started grinding his pincers together in anticipation.

"Then who will you be using in your Gym match?" Pidgeotto finally spoke up, sending Ash a shrewd look.

"That depends," Ash answered calmly, "It comes down to how many Pokémon we will be allowed to use. If it's one-on-one I'll use Pikachu. His ability makes all Electric-Type attacks useless. He'll be my ace for the upcoming battle," the Aura trainee found himself grinning at that statement. He couldn't wait to see Lt. Surge's face when he realized his most powerful attacks would be totally ineffective.

Pidgeotto nodded, understanding his reasoning. Her sharp eyes narrowed. "And if it comes down to multiple matchups?"

Ash grimaced and answered. "If it's two-on-two I'll include Charmander," he said. Charmander perked up and a big grin spread across his muzzle, displaying razor-sharp teeth. "If it's three-on-three I'll have to use you as well," Ash continued, and immediately caught onto Pidgeotto's grimace. He shot her a reassuring smile. "Relax, Pidgeotto. I already have a tactic in mind that will allow you to overcome Electric-Types. I'll discuss it with you later."

Pidgeotto looked intrigued at this mystery strategy, but held her curiosity in check and nodded at her trainer.

"And if it's more than three-on-three?" Pikachu asked, all though he had a sneaking suspicion of what his trainer had in mind.

"If it comes to that and you three are all knocked out I'll use Lucario," Ash announced, and that answered everything. There was no doubt in the minds of everyone present, except for maybe Krabby, that if Ash sent out Lucario he would attain victory no matter what.

Suddenly, the door leading into the room slammed open. Everyone turned to look and saw Anabel standing in the door way with Eevee on her shoulder and her Pokéballs in hand. Ash could easily see the tightness around her eyes and the subtle clenching of her fists.

She shot him a hard look. "Let's go."

* * *

Anabel looked at the Vermilion City Gym, eyes as hard as diamonds. She hardly noticed the architecture of the building, and scoffed at it, "Che."

Ash was considerably more impressed. His eyes scanned over every inch of the building, a remodeled warehouse, he realized. The building was painted a light green, with bright yellow stylized electric bolts crisscrossing over its exterior. Crystal clear windows lined the outside as well, giving the building a feeling of openness. Bold letters were embroiled right over the entrance, loudly stating: Vermilion City Gym.

Anabel marched forwards and slammed, not pushed, but slammed the double doors open. She walked in, her posture tense and erect, and Ash followed, Lucario trailing behind him and Pikachu on his shoulder.

"So," Suddenly, a deep, masculine and booming voice announced. "Who comes knocking open my door?"

"I do," Anabel said, steel hidden in her voice, and came to a stop.

A hulk of a man with erect blond hair appeared in front of them, obviously the Gym leader. Lt. Surge smirked and cooed at her, "Ahh, does a little baby like to play with the big boys," he said and burst out laughing when Anabel colored in what he believed to be embarrassment. "That's alright," the former army man continued, smirking widely, "I'll go easy on you."

Anabel clenched her fists and growled wordlessly at Lt. Surge, getting a chuckle out of the man.

Ash stepped around Anabel and spotted Lt. Surge. He grinned widely and waved at the man. "Hey, Lt. Surge! Long time no see!"

Lt. Surge was a hulk of a man. He was at least twice Ash's height and almost ten times his bulk. The man was chiseled like a rock, and the constant smirk playing across his lips made him out to be the ultimate hard-ass. A man as tough as granite and as sharp as a diamond tipped knife.

So Ash found it slightly amusing when he saw Surge's eyes widening in surprise.

A grin replaced the smirk on Lt. Surge's face. "Hey there runt," he boomed. "It has indeed been a long time, and look at you! You're all grown up, maybe not a lot, but there has definitely been some improvement," The man leaned in and looked at him more closely. "You're still a runt, though."

Ash simply snorted at that remark and waved him off. He was more than acquainted with Lt. Surge's sense of humor. It was all in good fun.

Anabel twitched. "Ash," she said, a noticeable strain to her voice, "How exactly do you know Lt. Surge?"

Ash snorted and shook his head. "Oh, that's easy. My mother and I had gotten lost in the city." He sighed. "Go figure. Anyway, we ran into Surge, he decided to help us, showed us the way back to the hotel, and voilà. I met Surge."

Surge laughed. "You both just looked so cute, all lost and helpless. I couldn't just ignore the both of you."

Anabel gained a tick mark and took a bold step forwards, glaring at the rugged man in front of her. "Enough!" she snapped. "I came here to challenge you, not to listen to you both rambling on about years long since passed!"

Surge regained his eager grin. "You're right there, girlie. Come on over, and we'll begin," he announced and turned around. The man walked around the battlefield, a simple square of dirt with white lines over it, nothing that would give a Pokémon an advantage or disadvantage, and took up his spot at one end of the battlefield. Anabel followed suit and took up her position on the other end.

Ash, meanwhile, took a place on the bleachers to the side. Lucario sat down beside him and Pikachu was as usual on his shoulder. All three were watching intently, not trying to miss anything that could be important later on for Ash's own match.

"The rules are simple," Surge announced as he took out a Pokéball, enlarged it, and spun it on the tip of his finger. "Three-on-three. Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon. The battle will be over when one side's Pokémon are unable to continue." He stopped spinning his Pokéball and caught it firmly in the palm of his hand, holding it out toward Anabel. "Is that clear?

Anabel nodded and took out her own Pokéball. "Crystal," she muttered, an undertone of hostility to her voice.

"Begin!" Surge roared and hurled his Pokéball high up into the air. A flash of white later and a Magneton had appeared on the field, floating only a scant few centimeters above the dirt. It whirled angrily at Anabel, high voltage sparks jumping off of its iron-hard shell as it did so.

Anabel released her own Pokémon moments later. Her Munchlax materialized, for once a hard look on its otherwise happy face and he smashed his clenched fists together, creating a minor shockwave.

Surge's eager grin widened at the sight. "Nice, very nice. Perhaps this will be my battle of the week," he absently mused, and then his sharp eyes narrowed. "Let's start of strong! Magneton, Use Zap Cannon!"

"Magggggnettttton!" the Electric-Type screeched in response, no words, just a wordless growl of eagerness. The magnets sticking out of its body angled towards Munchlax as electricity gathered in front of it, forming a tight sphere of concentrated electrical power. With a spin of its body Magneton send the attack flying straight towards Munchlax.

Anabel's growled order was short and to the point. "Ice Punch."

Munchlax allowed a happy grin to appear on his face as he reared back his right first. Focusing intently, the power of ice and frost coated the limb, the powerful attack at the ready and able to be used at a moment's notice. The Zap Cannon had crossed the distance between it and Munchlax in halve a second...

 ** _WHOOOSH-SHRK!_**

And was destroyed with a lightning quick Ice Punch, the speed of the blow parting the air and detonating the Zap Cannon into an explosion, sending small and weak bolts of lightning every which way.

"Yes," Anabel crowed. "Follow up with Ice Beam!"

Munchlax cocked his head back and opened his big mouth wide, taking a deep breath and concentrating. A sphere of pale icy blue energy formed immediately. Thrusting his head forwards Munchlax unleashed a zigzagging Ice Beam straight towards Magneton.

Surge smirked. "Nice." his eyes hardened. "Shield."

The magnets of Magneton burned a bright yellow, a herculean amount of electricity gathering there, the tips sparking erratically. Arcs of lightning jumped all over Magneton's metallic shell, casting short-lived shadows everywhere.

Just as the Ice Beam was about to strike the Steel-Type the arcs of lightning exploded outwards and formed a sphere of electricity around Magneton. Ice beam was stopped cold in its tracks, not even making an inch of headway into the protective sphere.

"Get close," Surge commanded. He grinned nastily. "Bash it to pieces."

Magneton screeched in response and rocketed forwards, maintaining its shield of electricity as it did so. It closed the distance between itself and Munchlax in seconds, who tried to halt its advance unsuccessfully by continuously blasting the sphere with Ice Beam's.

"Dodge," Anabel shouted at the last second, panic in her eyes.

Munchlax stopped blasting Ice Beam's and jumped to the right with far more agility then one would expect from such an ungainly looking Pokémon. He evaded the attack by the skin of his teeth and landed a short ways away, rolling to a stop and coming to a halt on his knees, head down and panting lightly from the narrow miss.

It ultimately didn't matter.

"Look out!"

Munchlax looked up, shock over taking his features for a split second, before it was replaced by agony as Magneton barreled into him headlong with its shield. Munchlax was picked up off of his feet and ramming into the side of the Gym. Magneton continued grinding into the wall, practically squashing Munchlax between its shield and the wall, before backing off a few moments later and allowing its shield to dissipate.

Munchlax was imbedded into the wall, stuck and completely knocked out cold.

Eyes wide with shock and horror, Anabel returned him. Horror quickly turned to anger, and then to blistering rage. "GRR," she growled, her body shaking in rage at her opponent's brutal attack.

Ash's eyes own eyes were wide as well. So where Pikachu's while Lucario's had gained a sharper look.

"I want to learn that," Pikachu announce. The awe was audible in his voice.

"You will," Ash said as he absently rubbed Pikachu behind the ears, his eyes practically glued to the battle below. He was watching a veteran battling, he realized, someone who was an expert in his chosen element. There was so much to learn from simply looking at Surge's battle tactics. He couldn't look away, certainly not now.

Anabel calmed herself with immense effort and took out her next Pokéball. "Kadabra! I need your help!"

The Psychic-Type materialized and took one look around. Kadabra immediately tensed. A short mental communication between him and his trainer had him raising his spoon.

Surge started when without any verbal communication Kadabra seized Magneton with a powerful Confusion attack. "Break free!" he shouted, his face muscles lightly flexing as he hollered his commands. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Kadabra didn't give it the chance. With a thought Magneton rocketed backwards and slammed into the wall behind it, causing it to crack from the force. Kadabra continued bashing Magneton repeatedly into the wall until it looked sufficiently confused, and then applied herculean force on it, trying to squash all the resistance out of it.

Magneton groaned and Surge finally had enough.

"Tri Attack!"

The top screw and the two bottom screws that held the three bodies of Magneton together started shining brightly in spite of the immense force being exerted on its steely body. The top one gathered electricity, the bottom left one gathered ice energy, and the bottom right one gathered heat energy. A thin white line joined all three spheres together, causing the energies to start mixing, forming a bright white triangle with different energy spheres at each tip.

"Grr," Magneton growled lowly and fired the attack straight at Kadabra with immense speed.

Kadabra's fiercely glowing eyes widened and he tried to dodge, but he was neither a fast nor an agile Pokémon. The Tri Attack struck it straight in the chest, causing a loss of concentration, freeing Magneton from its mental grip. Kadabra smashed into the Gym wall amidst an explosion of dust and dirt.

"Kadabra!" Anabel shouted. She swiftly closed her eyes and focused on her bond with her Pokémon. The Pokémon trainer sighed in relieve when she felt Kadabra respond. The attack had done considerable damage, but not anywhere near enough to knock out her friend.

Anabel opened her eyes and reviewed the situation. Magneton looked tired, the brutal attack Kadabra had done on it taking its toll, while Kadabra had been damaged as well, but much less than Magneton. The battle could still go either way.

One look at Surge and she felt victory already flare up in her chest.

Anabel focused on the bond that she shared with her Pokémon and gave an order. _'Hold still'_ , she said, and Kadabra perked up, the action hidden thanks to the big screen of dust. _Once it lowers its guard use Psybeam_.

"This match is ours," Surge declared. He grinned at Anabel. "A good attempt, you had me worried there for a second, but it just wasn't go-"

"Now!" Anabel shouted. Kadabra reacted accordingly.

The multicolored beam of psychic energy speared out of the dust, and struck the completely surprised Magneton, who had foolishly dropped its guard after its trainer had declared victory. The Electric-Type screeched and was knocked back into a wall with a dull thud, cracking the stone from the force, and was knocked out cold.

Surge gaped, a shocked expression on his face. He had been completely taken by surprise.

Anabel smirked and pumped her fist in victory. "Yes!"

The gob smacked expression melted away from Surge's face and was replaced with a calm, if not a slightly annoyed look. He calmly recalled Magneton. "Good job," he praised his Pokémon before stuffing the Pokéball away. Sighing, Surge's eyes locked on to Anabel. "Not bad," he admitted. "You waited for just the right moment to strike, and acted decisively. That's a sign of a good trainer."

"But it won't be enough to beat me!" Surge declared, taking out his next Pokéball and hurling it into the air. He laughed as his chosen Pokémon slowly coalesced in front of him. A few seconds later Anabel recognized the form of a powerfully built Raichu. The Electric-Type smirked arrogantly at her and beat his tail against the ground, kicking up a shower of sparks.

Kadabra took a step back. He could clearly feel the power emanating from Raichu, and it eclipsed his by far. The Psychic-Type's eyes narrowed and he planted his feet firmly into the ground, readying himself for combat.

Anabel picked up on this and gave an imperceptible smile. _'That's right. No matter how outclassed we are we won't be giving up.'_

"Thunderbolt," Surge ordered calmly, a calm grin reappearing on his face. "Follow with Focus Blast."

"Send them right back!"

Raichu's cheek pouches glowed a bright white as he gathered his energy, causing them to spark violently. At the same time he put his paws together and formed the compact blue sphere of Focus blast. Grinning nastily, Raichu sent a bright surge of electricity straight at Kadabra, hurling the Focus Blast close after it.

Kadabra raised his spoon as he focused his power, causing the utensil to bend. He mentally 'grabbed' Raichu's Thunderbolt and exerted immense energy to send it right back, making it boomerang right back to its sender.

The psychic-Type only just spotted the Focus Blast mere moments before it would have struck him. Reacting quickly he also mentally caught the offending sphere and sent it rocketing back to sender.

Surge and Raichu gave identical grins at the incoming Thunderbolt. The Electric-Type didn't bother dodging. He simply allowed the attack to hit him, absorbing the electricity easily. Raichu merely backhanded the Focus Blast away afterwards.

Kadabra panted tiredly. Sending those two attacks back had cost him a fair amount of energy.

Surge rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm bored." He gave Raichu a look. "Finish this. Use Volt Tackle."

Eyes widening, Anabel and Kadabra watched with horror as Raichu, who grinned smugly at them, fell to all fours. He raised his long whip-like tail high in the air as a shell of bright yellow electricity covered his form. The Electric-Type bounded forwards rapidly, chanting loudly.

"RAIRAIRAIRAIRAI."

Anabel opened her mouth, the command to dodge on her lips, but Kadabra was already in motion. The Psychic-Type knew that he could not mentally grab such a rapidly accelerating target, so his only possible option was to dodge. His feet dug into the loose soil of the Gym floor as he made the motion to jump, only to realize in a blink of an eye that he wasn't near fast enough to dodge the attack.

Amidst an explosion of electricity Raichu smashed headfirst into Kadabra, driving the air from his lungs and picking him up. Raichu's momentum sent them both flying through the air mere inches above the soil, and continued on until they smashed into the psychic barriers that enclosed the battlefield right in front of Anabel.

Anabel gasped and opened her eyes wide as the electricity started to dissipate, fearing what she might see. Her fears were proven correct when Raichu came scampering out of the dust and rubble, and Kadabra laid unmoving amongst wreckage. She sighed and recalled her Pokémon.

"That makes two out of three," Surge said. He grinned smugly. "Let's make that three out of three."

Anabel gritted her teeth. That Raichu was ludicrously powerful, even for an experienced Gym leader's Pokémon. Her hopes were rapidly draining away as she realized just how outclassed she truly was. And it pissed her off.

Surge boomed a laugh. "It's alright girlie! You're not the first and certainly not the last who have fallen before me. Most rookies do, rather spectacularly I might add."

She finally snapped,."You, you scum! Do you get a kick out of this?! Do you like demeaning helpless rookie trainers?! Huh! Are you that self-centered! You're nothing more than a cruel bastard who gets his jollies out of tormenting others!"

Surge finally lost some of his near constant cheer and became quiet, and rather introspective. "Do I like playing with rookie trainers?" he mused lowly to himself. He chuckled. "Hell yeah I do, but I do have me reasons, girlie," the man damn near growled. "If you beat me I might even tell you why I do this, so come on! Show me everything that you've got!"

Reacting immediately, Anabel commanded her final Pokémon, putting all her hopes on her most powerful partner. "Eevee!"

Eevee leaped from her shoulder and landed on the dirt field, leaning low towards the ground and tensed for action, ready to react in a moment's notice at her trainers command.

Surge chuckled, looking pleased. "That's it. I like that look in your eyes, girlie," he commented and pinned her attention with another grin. "Let's have some fun! Raichu! Use Thunderbolt!"

A shell of electricity formed around Raichu, who immediately blasted an immense bolt of lightning at Eevee.

"Dodge it," Anabel commanded. Eevee jumped to the left, allowing the Thunderbolt to pass her by. "Now get in close! Once you're close enough use Shadow Ball, _make sure that Raichu can't dodge_ ," she added the last part in her mind, which only Eevee could hear.

Eevee rushed forwards, fangs bared and ghostly energy brimming underneath her skin, ready to be unleashed.

"Iron Tail!" Surge snapped. Raichu grinned and rushed forwards as well, raising his whip-like tail high up in the air behind him as it glowed a bright white. The two rapidly closed in on one another, their respective attacks ready to be used at a moment's notice.

Raichu came in swinging. Once in range the Electric-Type whipped around and swung its whip-like tail at Eevee's side, who managed to jump in time to only just evade the attack by the skin of her teeth. Then she rapidly charged the Shadow Ball mere inches in front of Raichu's face.

"Oh shi-," Raichu started to exclaim only to be cut of when Eevee's Shadow Ball struck him in the face. "Oof," he grunted and was launched backwards, rolling head over heels as he tried to shake off the blow.

"Quick! Use another Shadow Ball," Anabel commanded, causing Eevee to charge up the attack a second time.

"Oh no, we aren't falling for that one again," Surge said and snapped his huge fingers. "Volt Screen!" Raichu dug his feet and front paws firmly into the ground and halted his backwards momentum, growling loudly at Eevee, and then grinning nastily. His cheek pouches glowed a bright white as he reared his entire upper body back and electricity gathered in his paws, causing them to light up with blinding light.

"Now/Now!" Both trainers commanded at the same time.

Eevee launched the Shadow Ball straight at Raichu at the exact same moment that the Electric-Type smashed his paws into the ground, cratering the floor from the sheer force. From the point of contact electricity exploded forwards in an ever-increasing sphere of force and lightning, rushing over the cracked and broken soil and rapidly closing in on the visibly panicking Eevee.

The Shadow Ball struck the Volt Screen to no effect, detonating without even slowing it down.

"Dodg-" Anabel started to exclaim, but it was already too late. The screen of electricity smashed into Eevee, picking her up and carrying her all the way out of the battlefield and towards Anabel. Luckily, there was a psychic barrier that protected trainers in Gym's and League matches, so instead of smashing into Anabel Eevee's back made contact with the barrier, sandwiching her between burning electricity and the cold immovable wall of mental force. Anabel watched this with mute horror.

Meanwhile Raichu had used the opportunity to close the distance between him and the pinned down Eevee. Acting quickly he smashed a glowing fist, a Mega Punch, Anabel mutely realized, into Eevee's stomach, then rapidly flipped and struck Eevee with an Iron Tail from above, smashing her into the dirt amidst an explosion of grime and dust.

"Eevee!" Anabel finally managed to get through her shock.

"It's already over, girlie," Surge announced and laughed a low laugh. "Look," he said and pointed into the slowly lifting veil of dirt.

And he spoke the truth, as Anabel found out moments later. Eevee once again appeared as soon as the veil of dirt and grime lifted to show the unmoving and beaten form of her first Pokémon. Anabel looked down in shame and recalled her best friend. "You did well, Eevee," she said morosely to the silent Pokéball that held her Eevee. "It wasn't your fault, but mine."

Surge gave another laugh as he crossed the pockmarked battlefield, picking up a grinning Raichu as he did so and depositing his partner on his massive shoulder. He came to a stop in the now visibly intimidated Anabel, looming over her ominously. He reached out for her. Anabel flinched and closed her eyes as...

...he ruffled her hair?

"That was great!" Surge boomed, his grin nearly splitting his face in two. "That was the best fight I've had in ages! Girlie, you can come back anytime you like and challenge me whenever you want! But first, get stronger. So that you can give me an even grander battle next time round!" His massive hand took her numb smaller one and shook it. "Deal?"

Still in shock, Anabel could only nod dumbly.

From afar Ash snorted, loudly, gaining the attention of all present. "Same old Lt. Surge. Still the ever crazy battle maniac," he said as he approached, Pikachu on his shoulder and Lucario following close behind him.

Far from offended, Surge simply laughed once more.

Anabel swallowed. "I-I don't understand," she stuttered, gaining back Surge's attention. "Y-you're supposed to be c-cruel! And mean! And utter trash! Why, why are you being so nice all of a sudden?!"

Surge grew still as she continued to speak. He looked her over, looking for something. Then he snorted. "Ah, you're one of those people," he mused, and then shook his head. "I guess that you saw the scene at the Pokémon Center?" he asked and Anabel nodded. "Figures. Anyway, despite what you might believe I don't go all out on my challengers to demean them or anything, but to prepare them."

Anabel cocked her head and blinked. "Prepare them?"

Surge nodded, a serious glint in his eyes. "Yes, do you think I'm the only one who fights this brutally? Let me tell you something, girlie. The way I fight is the norm among high-class trainers." He gave another soft shake of his head. "The first two Gym's usually go easy, I, on the other hand, try to give my challengers a true taste of what they've gotten themselves into."

"Oh," Anabel suddenly grew ashamed. His ways were indeed brutal, but his heart was in the right place, and he did it for a good reason. She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about what I just said about you."

"It's alright," he waved of her apology. "It has happened many times before. A lot of people react like that to my methods, my defeated challengers mostly."

Anabel nodded and smiled at the giant of a man.

Surge turned his attention to Ash. "I assume you want to challenge me as well?" Ash nodded, causing Surge to sigh. "Sorry, Ash, but I'm done taking challengers for today. My team needs to rest. Come back tomorrow at eight o'clock. I'll be happy to ram you're face into the dirt," he said with another big grin.

Ash laughed. "We'll see about that," he said amusedly, and then transferred his attention over to Anabel. "Let's go back to the Pokémon Center. You're Pokémon need to heal."

Anabel nodded and immediately started turning towards the door, clearly anxious to get her Pokémon the medical attention they needed as soon as possible.

Ash gave Surge a big grin. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lt. Surge," he said candidly and rushed out after Anabel, Lucario following close behind him.

"You better give me a good fight, Ash!" Surge called out after them.

* * *

The very next day Ash and Anabel once again found themselves in front of the Vermilion City Gym, Lucario in his Pokéball for once and Pikachu and Eevee on their respective trainers' shoulders. Both looked fresh and ready, and Ash was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. After they had gotten back to the Pokémon Center yesterday Ash had thought long and hard about his upcoming match with Surge and had come to the conclusion that his original strategy still had merit, so he was as ready as he could be.

"Come on," Ash said and led the way inside, Anabel following close behind.

"Look who's back," Surge boomed as he greeted them just inside the entrance. He gave a dangerous grin. "Are you ready, runt?"

Ash smirked. "I was born ready, Surge," he said and walked confidently towards his place on one end of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Anabel walked towards the bleachers and took a seat as far back as possible. While the psychic shields would protect her, they would do nothing about static electricity, and she knew from experience that it would be murder on her hair if she got to close. Looking back on it she was surprised that her hair hadn't reacted yesterday during her own match with Lt. Surge.

Surge laughed and took his own position at the other end of the battlefield. "Now that's what I like to hear! That bravado...that unwavering confidence...I love battling trainers like you Ash, and then crushing them!"

Ash snorted and took out a Pokéball at the same time Surge did. "Then I'm going to have to disappoint you. I've no intention of losing here. I fact, I'm planning to utterly wreck you," Ash said and absently wondered when he had gotten into trash talking before a match.

Surge boomed another laugh and simply threw his Pokéball into the air as an answer. In a flash of white light an Electrode materialized on the battlefield. The spherical Electric-Type screeched at him and spun in place on its spot.

Ash threw his own Pokéball in response and released his first Pokémon.

Lt. Surge raised an eyebrow, a question appearing in his sharp eyes. "Pidgeotto?" he wondered out loud, and then shrugged. "Strange choice, Ash, but it's your call," the Gym leader grinned dangerously. "I'm going to enjoy frying that chicken. Charge! Thunderbolt! Sonic Boom!"

Ash's and Pidgeotto's eyes widened at the litany of commands.

Electrode gave another screech and spun in place like a demented spinning toy, becoming nothing more than a white and red blur. The spinning sphere glowed a bright yellow for a moment, its attack power increasing as it used Charge, and then released a boasted bolt of electricity at Pidgeotto, followed closely by the compressed air wave of Sonic Boom.

"Dive," Ash immediately snapped, causing Pidgeotto to tuck her wings close to her body and to dive bomb straight towards the ground, only just evading the incredibly large Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, Electrode seemed to have anticipated this, as the Sonic Boom Lt. Surge had ordered had been shot lower than the Thunderbolt, and was now heading straight towards where Pidgeotto was heading.

Pidgeotto barrel rolled, displacing herself just enough that instead of being hit head on the Sonic Boom merely scratched her side. She grimaced, but continued rushing towards the ground. For Ash's strategy to work she had to be close to the ground.

She pulled up mere moments before she would have crashed into the ground, and skimmed over the battlefield, her feathers almost touching the loose dirt.

"Thunderbolt," Surge commanded once more. Electrode, still spinning, fired another humongous bolt of lightning straight at Pidgeotto.

The Flying-Type didn't pull up, change direction or try to fly away at all. She just continued flying head long at the incoming storm of lightning. Her eyes were set and determined, and there wasn't an ounce of fear in her posture. At the last possible moment she twisted, but the Thunderbolt still struck her, making the Gym light up with brilliant yellow light.

Surge snorted at the easy win. "Seems it's my win," he gave Ash a look rife with disappointment. "I had expected something a little better then th-"

Pidgeotto came spearing out of the electricity, her right-wing firmly imbedded into the dirt as she dragged it forwards through the floor and the still ongoing Thunderbolt. The wing glowed a bright silver as it redirected the electricity harmlessly into the ground.

Surge's jaw dropped as he realized what had happened. "Oh, hell no! Quick, use Magnet Raise! Follow with Sonic Boom!"

Electrode immediately stopped spinning, its lower underside grinding harshly into the ground. A faint white glow surrounded it as it used Magnet Raise, causing it to swiftly rise up from the ground, allowing Pidgeotto to pass underneath it and evading her attack. Then it started spinning once more in preparation for Sonic Boom.

Pidgeotto wouldn't be outsmart so easily, however. She quickly disappeared into an Aerial Ace, pulling up rapidly and reappearing as she smashed into Electrode's spinning underside, sending it careening even higher up into the air.

"Good job, Pidgeotto," Ash crowed as he pumped his fist. "Now follow with Aerial Storm!"

Pidgeotto once again disappeared into Aerial Ace, and reappeared as she rammed into Electrode once more. Then she started flying around the spinning form of Electrode rapidly, becoming nothing more than a brown and beige blur, constantly wracking its form with the sharp wind blades of Aerial Ace.

Electrode screeched and tried to blast Pidgeotto with numerous Thunderbolts, only for her phenomenal speed to make the action a moot point. She simply danced around the erratic bolts of lightning with time to spare.

"Calm down," Surge ordered calmly. "Shield!"

Electricity exploded from Electrode, forming a spherical shield that forced Pidgeotto to back off, lest she be fried. Then the grinning face of Electrode came back in view as it stopped spinning. Screeching loudly, the still hanging in midair Electrode rocketed forwards to Pidgeotto, maintaining its shield as it did so.

Pidgeotto dove towards the ground in response, Electrode hot on her heels.

Surge's eyes widened as he realized what the Flying-Type was up to. "Electrode, wait! It's a tra-" he started to shout, but was already too late.

Pidgeotto halted herself mere moments before she would have struck the ground, kicking up a minor dust cloud, and firmly imbedded her now glowing wing into the ground while raising the other glowing wing towards the rapidly closing in form of Electrode.

Electrode smashed into Pidgeotto's Steel Wing, the electricity surrounding it pumping into the glowing appendage and through Pidgeotto, only for it to be redirected into the ground by her other glowing wing. With a screech of exertion Pidgeotto forced her steel hardened wing through Electrode's shield and smashed it into its no longer grinning face.

The sheer force behind the blow knocked Electrode back up into the air. Pidgeotto yanked her wing from the ground and followed Electrode.

Ash's face gained a feral grin. "Aerial Ace straight up!"

Lt. Surge growled and grounded his teeth. "Thunderbolt straight down!"

The wind blades of Aerial Ace appeared around Pidgeotto just as Electrode fired his Thunderbolt straight down towards her. She disappeared, danced around the arc of lightning spearing towards the ground, and struck Electrode with all the force she could muster, knocking the screeching orb into the roof, cratering it.

Electrode fell back to earth moments later, knocked out cold. Before it could fall even half way back down Surge returned it.

Surge snorted and grinned as he put Electrode's Pokéball away and took out his next choice. He laughed. "That's it! This is how I like my battles! Fast paced and completely unpredictable! Ash." His grin widened enough to show his sharp teeth. "Let's make this a battle to remember! Go, Magneton!"

The Electric-Type materialized in front of Surge and screeched its metallic screech, sounding eager to do battle.

Magneton, a part Steel-Type, Ash mused as he raised Pidgeotto's Pokéball and recalled her. Surge raised an eyebrow at the act. Ash grinned at him and took out his next choice. "It's your turn, Charmander!"

The lizard-like Pokémon appeared in a flash white in front of Ash and snorted flame as he gazed at his opponent. Charmander smirked and clenched his claws in anticipation, just as eager to do battle as Magneton.

Surge laughed. "HAH! Looks like the runt has another baby Pokémon!" he crowed, causing Charmander to glare at him, only making him laugh even louder. "HAHAHAH! That's alright, though. As long as you give me a fine battle I'm okay with any Pokémon that you use!"

Ash grinned. "Don't mind if I do then," his eyes hardened. "Flamethrower!"

Charmander cocked his head back, took a deep breath through his nostrils, making his stomach bulge, before breathing out a devastatingly hot cone of bright orange flame towards the floating form of Magneton.

Surge grinned right back. "Tri-Attack!"

The top screw and the two bottom screws that held the three bodies of Magneton together started shining brightly. The top one gathered electricity, the bottom left one gathered ice energy, and the bottom right one gathered heat energy. A thin white line joined all three spheres together, causing the energies to start mixing, forming a bright white triangle with different energy spheres at each tip.

With nary a pause Magneton fired the attack at the incoming torrent of flame. The two attacks connected, the Tri-Attack forcing its way through the flames, before finally detonating amidst the fire, creating a dense black smoke that blocked out all sight.

Except for Aura sight of course.

Ash closed his eyes and concentrated. He grinned and made a mental connection with Charmander. _Flamethrower straight ahead._

The Fire-Type gave a smirk of his own and took a deep breath.

Surge looked intently into the black smoke. He couldn't see anything, and if his experienced eyes couldn't then Ash wouldn't be able to either. The match was effectively on hold until the smoke cleared. He was dissuaded from that notion when a cone of fire erupted from the smoke and enveloped Magneton, its sheer heat actually melting some of Magneton's steel skin.

"What!" the man exclaimed and cursed under his breath. "Gyro Ball!"

Magneton hastened to comply and started spinning rapidly, a light blue glow settling on its blurred form as it used the Steel-Type attack, the spinning getting rid of the burning flames. The smoke had lightened enough by this point that Charmander was visible again, so Magneton immediately rocketed towards the Fire-Type.

"Flamethrower," Ash commanded once more. Charmander took another deep breath and spat out another torrent of flame at the rapidly incoming Magneton. Said Electric/Steel-Type simply swerved around the cone of fire and continued to hone in on Charmander.

Ash quickly changed tactics. "Dragon Claw!

Charmander cut of his attack and jumped back to give himself some space from the incoming Magneton. He reared back his claws, the purple flames of Dragon Claw covering them immediately, and jumped back forwards, his attack at the ready. The Fire-Type swung...

 ** _SCREEEEEEECH!_**

...And the sound of Charmander's claws racking up against the steel body of Magneton echoed in the Gym, setting teeth on edge and giving everyone goose bumps.

Charmander growled as he was pushed back and dug his feet more firmly into the ground, slowing down, but not halting the rate at which he was being pushed back. "Charrr," he growled lowly and then took a deep breath, ready to spit fire.

Surge smirked. "Thunderbolt."

The spinning form of Magneton exploded with electricity, striking Charmander point-blank and halting his attack, as well as making Dragon Claw sputter out. Magneton immediately took advantage of this and surged through Charmander's ruined guard and smashed into the Fire-Type, picking him up and launching him away.

"Tri-Attack before it can recover," Surge ordered immediately.

Ash gasped. In one glance he knew that Charmander would not be able to recover in time.

Magneton stopped spinning almost immediately, kicking up a small dust cloud. Its screws immediately gathered their respective elements before a fine white line connected them together, forming the tri-element triangle once more. The attack was fired swiftly and with pinpoint accuracy, hitting the still airborne Charmander in the chest, and rocketed the Fire-Type into the psychic barrier, knocking him out on contact.

Sighing, Ash recalled his Pokémon. "You did great," he said to the Pokéball, causing it to wiggle and warm up. Smiling, Ash stuffed it away and looked up at the grinning face of Surge. Eyes hardening again he took out Pidgeotto's Pokéball, paused, and seemed to think better of it. Putting the Pokéball away he smirked. "Pikachu, you're up."

Pikachu gave a smirk of his own and vaulted from Ash's shoulder, landing before him on all fours. "Get in close," Ash commanded immediately, and Pikachu launched forwards in reply, running swiftly along the ground.

"Zap Cannon!" Surge roared, a pleased glint appearing in his eyes at facing someone with the balls to challenge him with an Electric-Type.

Ash's smirk widened and gave one clear command that threw Surge for a loop and had Anabel smiling. "Take it."

Pikachu continued running head on at Magneton, not even flinching when the Steel-Type fired the compact sphere of electricity at him. The Zap Cannon smashed into his face, and instead of exploding simply broke up on contact and was absorbed into his skin. Understanding dawned on Surge's face, but it was already too late.

"Volt Tackle!"

Electricity erupted from Pikachu, shrouding him with an intense veil of electricity as he chanted his war cry.

"PIKAPIKAPIKAPIKAPIKAPIKA."

Pikachu leaped and smashed into Magneton's steel skin with an audible gong, the sheer force behind his charge rocketing the Electric/Steel-Type away, Pikachu still firmly connected to it thanks to his momentum. Ash's second partner promptly kicked off from the soaring form of Magneton, rising high up into the air and already readying an Iron Tail to end it.

Surge's eyes had widened in something resembling panic, and he quickly issued a desperate order, "Quick, use Gyro Ball!"

Magneton recovered quickly, managing to halt itself almost immediately at its trainers command and spun into Gyro Ball in less time than it took to blink.

Pikachu came down from above with a near horizontal flip, bringing down his glowing tail on the spinning form of Magneton, producing an insistent grinding noise that echoed loudly in the almost silent Gym. The electric mouse gritted his teeth, focused with all his might, and forced even more energy into his tail, causing a detonation thanks to the conflicting energies from both Steel-Type attacks connecting.

"Magneton!" Surge shouted as the black smoke caused by the explosion overtook him. Meanwhile, Pikachu emerged from the smoke, flipping backwards and landing safely on all fours in front of Ash.

His opponent, on the other hand, wasn't anywhere near so lucky.

Magneton appeared as soon as the smoke lifted, showing a dismayed looking Surge and his unconscious Pokémon firmly implanted into the ground, knocked out cold. The Gym leader sighed and recalled the part Electric-Type.

Surge locked eyes with Ash and gave him measuring look. Then he chuckled. "You know, I can hardly remember the last time someone pushed me this far. Was it a month ago? Six months? A year? It's been so long..." he trailed of and smiled. "But you, Ash, you are different. How long have you been a trainer? My guess is for about a month, and yet you are already a legitimate threat to me. Usually it takes rookies at least a year of training to give me even a hint of a challenge. Truly amazing."

Ash chuckled, a little embarrassed by the compliment.

Surge continued, his grin slowly getting wider. "Let's finish this, Ash," he said, brimming with anticipation. He hurled his Pokéball into the air, releasing his most trusted and powerful partner. "Come on out, Raichu!"

Pikachu watched resolutely as his evolution took form in front of him and could feel his muscles clench in anticipation for the battle to come.

Raichu grinned as he finished materializing and gave Pikachu a look over. The Electric-Type snorted. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

"You would think that, won't you," his opponent returned, grinning right back.

"Be ready, Raichu," Surge said, a serious note to his voice. "This Pikachu has the Lightningrod ability. He's immune to Electric-Type attacks. We'll have to beat him down physically."

Raichu's grin turned down right nasty. "Just my kind of battle," he muttered to himself.

There was a moment of tense silence after that, both trainers and Pokémon simply gazing at the other, before Ash broke the silence. "Quick Tail!"

Pikachu disappeared into a lightning fast Quick Attack as his tail flared a bright white. He rushed head long at Raichu, who had reared back at Pikachu's attack and smirked at the incoming yellow missile.

"Mega Punch!"

Blinding white light overtook Raichu's brown fist as he rushed forwards to meet Pikachu's charge head on. "Take this!" the fully evolved Electric-Type roared.

Pikachu came in fast and hot, twisting around to smash his Iron tail into Raichu's Mega Punch. Aided by the immense momentum imparted on him thanks to his Quick Attack the Iron Tail managed to match the attack of his higher evolved opponent, but only just.

Surge threw his arm to the left. "Mega Kick!"

Raichu acted immediately and stepped aside at the exact same time he let up on his attack, allowing Pikachu to soar right past him. He grinned at his opponents shocked face, then he jumped up and delivered a devastating Mega Kick to Pikachu's side, rocketing him away.

 ** _CRACK-POW!_**

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted in alarm as his trusted partner smashed into the wall, cratering it quite deeply, far deeper than ever before in Anabel's battle and his own. Dust obscured his Pokémon and for a terrifying few moments he believed that Pikachu had been taken out in one hit by the immensely powerful Raichu, but let out a sigh of relieve when Pikachu came limping out of the dust, obviously in pain but still capable of battling.

"Hoh," Surge mussed as he watched Pikachu march back onto the battlefield. "That little mouse is tougher then I had thought."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Ash promised as his starter once again faced Raichu, falling to all fours once more.

Surge laughed at his opponent's bravado. He calmed himself and pointed at him with one of his huge fingers. "Good! Because Raichu and I still have a few surprises ourselves!" The man grinned and gave a simple command. "Focus Blast!"

As Raichu started forming the compact sphere of Fighting-Type energy Ash quickly devised a counter. "Dig!"

Pikachu dove head first to the ground and disappeared under the battlefield, digging a hole to hide in for himself in the blink of an eye.

Raichu paused and allowed his attack to dissipate in dismay. The Focus Blast would be unable to reach Pikachu underground, unless he started spamming them and completely demolishing the battlefield to get to his opponent.

A smirk appeared on Ash's lips as a devious idea came to him. "Thunder! Full power!"

Everyone froze as they heard the earth groan and rumble, although Ash was grinning madly at the same time. The earth beneath Raichu's feet started to crack and bulge upwards as huge amounts of pressure started building up underneath it.

Surge's eyes widened. "Protect!" he barked. Raichu crossed his arms as a green protective field surrounded him.

Ash was almost blinded when the world erupted. Yellow lightning erupted up from the ground and flung the protected form of Raichu up into the air. Thunder crackled, boomed and rolled through the building. The smell of ozone became overpowering. Pikachu erupted up out of the ground, his own power flinging him up after Raichu, grinning deviously all the while.

Raichu struck the roof just as his Protect dissipated, his back smacking into the stone, his limbs splayed wide as he stayed hanging there for just a moment. Then gravity reasserted its dominance and the Electric-Type fell back down.

Right towards the rapidly rising Pikachu.

White light erupted behind Pikachu as he used Quick Attack to speed up his ascent. He smashed into Raichu's stomach, knocking the air from his lungs and knocking him back up towards the roof with a loud CRACK!

"Thunder!"

Pikachu, still imbedded into his opponents stomach allowed his smirk to widen, and used the attack point-blank, covering them both in a brilliant ball of electricity that lit up the building. The attack wouldn't do serious damage to Raichu, but since it wasn't his own energy it would fry his skin rather badly, and with an enemy as powerful as Raichu every little bit counted.

"Brick Break!" Surge commanded over the howl of the Thunder. Within Pikachu's attack Raichu's eyes snapped open. He raised his right paw up with effort, the appendage lighting up as he channeled his power into it, and chopped down brutally, striking Pikachu in the head.

The act struck Pikachu down, literally. He was dislodged from Raichu and was sent soaring back towards the ground. Thankfully, he managed to twist around and land on all fours despite the disorientation Raichu's blow had caused. The electric mouse was immediately forced to jump back as Raichu came down with a brutal Mega Kick, cratering the floor and sending deep fissures racing through the floor.

Raichu slowly turned to face Pikachu, a baleful glare on his face. He was covered in bruises, his orange skin was blackened with soot, a big bruise had started to form on his stomach and his back was killing him. The fully evolved Pokémon crushed his fist together in anger, which produced a shockwave of thunder.

Pikachu gulped. His opponent looked pissed.

"That's it!" Surge suddenly roared and pointed at Pikachu, a strange light to his eyes. "Let's finish this! Use Giga Impact!"

Raichu smirked. That was an order he could completely get behind. He once again crushed his fist together, a purple aura surrounding him crisscrossed with vivid orange energy swirling inside of it. The Electric-Type roared and launched forwards, the power of his charge cutting apart the ground in front of him, sending debris of rock flying in every direction.

Pikachu took a step back, nearly frozen in fear as he trembled in the face of the coming onslaught. How...How was he supposed to fight something like that?!

Just as he was about to panic Ash's consciousness brushed his own, and he instantly calmed. No words needed to be exchanged. He knew exactly what his trainer wanted, and his partner's calm confidence in him gave him courage.

The electric mouse kicked off, indenting the ground underneath and behind his paws as he launched himself at Raichu. His power exploded from him, wrapping him in a thick veil of electricity. The ground beneath his feet was being ripped apart, excess rubble being flung every which way as he rushed head long at Raichu and he chanted his war cry for all to hear.

"PIKAPIKAPIKAPIKAPIKAPIKA."

Closer and closer they got to each other, the ground being ripped apart in front of their head on charge. The purple and orange missile honing in on the yellow comet that was about to meet it halfway.

And then they were on each other.

 _ **BANG-SCREEEEEECH!**_

Both attacks connected, the ground cratering violently underneath their point of contact. The attacks held steady, dead-locking as they tried to overpower the other. Wind whipped and roared as the two attacks strained against the other, the forces involved churning the air violently. White light shone from their point of contact, the meeting energies mixing and bleeding off in the form of blinding light.

Inside of their respective attacks Pikachu and Raichu roared and poured all they had into their attacks, causing the light to intensify to such a blinding degree that no one could see anything.

And then it became too much.

With a terrifyingly loud explosions Pikachu's Volt Tackle and Raichu's Giga Impact detonated, catching both Pokémon in the immense explosion at the very epicenter. Dark, black smoke overtook the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye, obscuring everything.

"Pikachu!"

"Raichu!"

Despite the immense volume of it, the black smoke lifted quickly to show an utterly demolished battlefield. The battlefield, simply put, was a wreck. Craters dotted it, fissures crisscrossed everywhere and chunks of rocks laid strewn all over the place.

And at the very center of this devastation laid Pikachu and Raichu in the deepest crater of all. Both laid absolutely still, unmoving. Both trainers rushed towards their partner the moment the psychic barriers fell.

"Pikachu, are you alright? Come on, speak to me buddy," Ash said as he cradled his starter in his arms, shaking him lightly as he tried to get a reaction out of him.

"Raichu," Surge sighed as he picked up the orange mouse and held him in his huge arms. The man frowned, this wasn't the first time that his starter had taken such a beating, but it unnerved him to see his closest partner in such a sorry state. It was calming to know that Raichu could take a lot more damage than this and come out fine in the end. He should know. He had seen it many times before.

Pikachu groaned, shaken from his unconsciousness quite literally by Ash's actions. He blinked and then grimaced in pain as his injuries made themselves known. "I'm fine, Ash," he said in a strained and tired voice. His trainers sighed in relieve. The electric mouse quickly continued. "However, I would really appreciate some healing right about now."

Getting the hint Ash nodded and stood up. He needed to get his partner to the Pokémon Center ASAP. "Well, Surge. That was fun, but I really need to get Pikachu to the Pokémon Center."

Surge nodded, smiling a small smile. "That's alright. My team needs some healing two. But first," the man said and reached into his pocket, taking out the Thunder Badge and holding it out towards Ash. "Here. You've earned it."

"But it was a tie," Ash protested, holding back his urge to simply take the badge anyway.

Surge laughed. "Did you forget, Ash?" he said, amused. "You still have Pidgeotto. You have one Pokémon left and I do not. You have won."

Ash blinked. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he grinned and took his prize. The Thunder Badge shone under the artificial lighting of the Gym that had miraculously survived through the battle. Grinning, he pinned it inside of his jacket, just underneath the Boulder Badge that he had won from Brock.

Surge chuckled and looked around at his ruined Gym. "Better get that Graveler to fix this," he muttered to himself before shaking his head to get rid of the thought. "Anyway, let's get to the Pokémon Center."

Ash nodded and followed after the man as he led the way out of the Gym, Anabel meeting them halfway and joining up with them. "Damn," she whistled. "You two sure did a number on each other."

Pikachu groaned. "Tell me about it."

Raichu, who had woken up by this point, groaned as well. "You don't say."

Ash snorted and smirked, "That's the understatement of the century. Still, that was an awesome battle. Surge, you wouldn't mind if I come back here someday to challenge you again would you? I could use the training."

Surge laughed and looked at Ash over his shoulder as they walked down the road towards the Pokémon Center. "Mind? Brat, I insist on it. That was the most fun I have had in ages. You can bet your ass that you'll be challenging my Gym a lot in the future, or I'll hunt you down and force you to battle me!"

Ash snorted again and nodded, happy to agree to that. They arrived at the Pokémon Center shortly and entered. Luckily, Ash had been the first person to challenge Surge today, so they didn't have to wait behind a humongous line of defeated trainers. But there were a lot of trainers present, who were just lounging around. The same ones who had been defeated by Surge many times before. They gaped as the muscle-bound man entered the room, holding his beaten partner close.

Nurse Joy looked up from behind the counter and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Lt. Surge. Fancy seeing you here. Did someone finally knock you down from your high pedestal?"

"Yup," he admitted without an ounce of shame. "This little brat gave me a better fight then I have had in a long while."

The Pokémon nurse turned to look at Ash and was surprised to see that such a young boy had beaten Surge. She quickly repressed it however and got down to business. "I see. That's quite impressive. Anyway, I guess that both you're Pokémon need some healing?" she said, framing it like a question.

Both Ash and Surge nodded and deposited Pikachu and Raichu. Then they handed the Nurse their Pokéballs and watched as she disappeared towards the back of the Pokémon Center with their Pokémon.

Lt. Surge grunted. "She'll be back soon. Clarice works quickly," he said and turned his eyes over to Ash. "That said, what are you gonna do now? Which Gym are you gonna challenge next?"

"The Saffron City Gym," Ash answered.

Surge snorted and shook his head. "That means you'll be fighting Sabrina. Her Psychic Pokémon are strong. Like really strong. But with your skills I reckon you have a chance at winning. Just stay on your toes and act quickly, then you will be golden."

Ash nodded as he assimilated the advice. He wasn't going to disregard it. It came from a Gym leader after all. When they spoke people listened.

Anabel looked excited hearing that. "Saffron City? Truly?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Anabel smiled and rubbed her hands together in excitement. "I've always admired Sabrina. She is one of the toughest Gym leaders and one of the most powerful psychics in Kanto, maybe even the world. I've seen her battle sometimes on TV, and how she commands her Pokémon is nothing short of masterful. As a matter of fact, my method of fighting is actually based on Sabrina's fighting style."

Ash looked interested hearing that, not having known that before.

"Here you go," Nurse Joy's voice suddenly announced. Blinking in surprise, Ash and Anabel turned to look at the counter, seeing Surge take a trio of Pokéballs.

Walking up to the counter himself Ash retrieved his own Pokémon and put them back on his belt while placing a grinning and completely healed Pikachu back on his shoulder. Said Electric-Type leaned back on his shoulder and let out a sigh of content.

"Well, Ash," Surge said and clapped Ash on the shoulder. "It was great to see you again and even better to battle you. I have to go back to my Gym now. See you soon."

With that said the Electric Gym leader turned and left, leaving the building and going back to his Gym.

Ash grinned to himself. That was three down, still five more to go.

Saffron City awaited him.

* * *

A/N: And that's chapter four, the second biggest chapter I have ever written after chapter one. I hope you guys liked it.


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